Party cries foul over Raj Thackeray's summon by Enforcement Directorate

The MNS has cried foul at the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) move to summon party chief Raj Thackeray, calling it a "politically motivated" decision. Party workers have threatened to take to the streets on August 22, when Raj has been summoned by the ED and asked people to leave their houses only if necessary.

The ED summons to Raj may be part of a larger game plan by the BJP to generate sympathy for the MNS chief, whose party is facing a tough time after a series of electoral setbacks and desertions from the ranks. MNS sympathisers admit that in case the BJP snaps it's alliance with the Shiv Sena for the state assembly elections, the former may bet on the MNS to fracture the Marathi vote, helping the BJP sail through in Mumbai and Pune.

Raj, who had supported Narendra Modi's prime ministerial bid in 2014, gradually emerged as a critic of Modi and the BJP. He launched a surrogate campaign for the Congress and NCP in the Lok Sabha elections, with public meetings which employed use of audio-visual tools to expose the BJP's "doublespeak."

MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande said that MNS activists had not called for a formal bandh on August 22, but asked people to leave their homes only if necessary. "The government loves us a lot. We are used to such love letters," said Raj's wife Sharmila. However, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and Saamna executive editor Sanjay Raut claimed that the investigation agencies in India were impartial.