A day after violence was reported following his statement of setting autorickshaws with new permits on fire, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray directed his cadre to put the agitation on hold until further instructions. This, even as the Opposition and detractors slammed him for ‘once again striking a deal’ with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government.
“It is no secret that Mr Thackeray (Raj) has a secret understanding with the BJP and a few corporates. History will show you the repeated use of this tactic by him (Raj Thackeray): to create fear and then strike a deal with the powers to be, only to pull back the agitation later,” said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Nawab Malik.
Senior functionaries in the party said the MNS leader had issued a strong statement to the cadre following the incident of an autorickshaw that was set on fire in Andheri on Thursday evening. While the police did not identify the miscreants, party leaders said there was a growing feeling in the cadre that auto unions fighting amongst themselves could take advantage of the situation and blame the MNS while settling scores with each other, senior functionaries told The Hindu .
Speaking to The Hindu , senior MNS leader Nitin Sardesai said, “The campaign against autos with new permits was meant to start when these autorickshaws actually hit the roads. There was some confusion among party workers that it was to start immediately. So, after the protest at Andheri RTO, Rajsaheb told the party workers to put it on hold till he gives a call for the campaign.”
An MNS statement said, “Autorickshaws with new permits are yet to be out on the streets. Some unknown persons are taking advantage of this, Rajsaheb Thackeray has asked party activists to put the campaign against autos with new permits on hold till further instructions.”
On Wednesday, Mr Thackeray had stoked the migrant issue once again, warning that three-wheelers with new permits would be set on fire, alleging that nearly 70 per cent of the autorickshaws recently cleared to run on Mumbai’s roads belong to non-Maharashtrians. But the latest instruction was issued soon after the rickshaw-burning incident, and circulated via WhatsApp.
“I saw the message on my mobile in the evening. It was felt that auto unions should not be allowed to take advantage of the situation, and therefore, I am following the instructions,” said an MNS corporator.
Opposition and detractors slam the MNS chief for ‘once again striking a deal’ with the BJP
