Raj Thackeray slammed for hate speech

Mumbai/New Delhi, September 4: Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday came under all round fire for threatening to throw out Biharis from Maharashtra even as a case was filed against him in Nalanda for his hate speech.

A complaint was registered against the MNS chief in Nalanda district court in Bihar by a social activist under several sections of the IPC. Raj Thackeray had on Friday threatened to brand Biharis as “infiltrators” and force them out of Maharashtra if authorities in Bihar take legal action against Mumbai policemen who picked up Abdul Qadir from Sitamarhi district without informing their counterparts in that state, evoking a sharp rebuff from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. In Delhi, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said, “Everybody has a right to go anywhere and seek employment.”

On Raj Thackeray targeting certain news channels, he said, “It is not fair to target media. At times media criticises people and it should be accepted.”

Speaking on a similar vein as his estranged nehphew Raj Thackeray, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray backed the Mumbai Police and deprecated Kumar for questioning the arrest of a “traitor” from his state.

“The Bihar CM should have congratulated Mumbai police as their action prevented Abdul Qadir from fomenting more trouble in that state,” Thackeray said, in an editorial of Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ on Monday.

Action sought

Seeking strong action against the MNS chief for his comments against people of Bihar, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) accused the Maharashtra government of taking a “lenient view” of such incidents.

“The situation in Maharashtra is so because the state government is not been able to take strict action against such acts (of Raj Thackeray). The day strong action will be taken, on that day itself his irresponsible statements against UP or Bihar people will stop,” BSP chief Mayawati told reporters outside Parliament.

Lashing out at the MNS chief, RJD leader Ram Kirpal Yadav said, “There is no difference between terrorists and these people. Their language is same like terrorists. So the law applicable against terrorists should be used against them also.”