A day after daring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to travel to Mumbai to celebrate Bihar Divas, MNS chief Raj Thackeray took a complete U-turn, withdrawing party’s opposition to the celebrations of Bihar Divas in the city on Sunday.
A day after daring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to travel to Mumbai to celebrate Bihar Divas, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray took a complete U-turn, withdrawing party’s opposition to the celebrations of Bihar Divas in the city on Sunday.
“Today (Friday) morning, I had a telephonic conversation with Kumar and it became clear that the programme on Sunday is not political, but a purely cultural, event. Therefore, my party will not oppose it,” said Thackeray. Earlier, at the election campaign rally in Malegaon on Thursday, the MNS chief had warned that, “If any outsider wants to hold any programme in Mumbai, then he/she will need to get a ‘visa’ from Marathi manoos.”
However, Devesh Thakur, the Bihar Divas organiser in Mumbai, was quick to take the cue and on Friday morning he called on Thackeray at his residence, after which the Bihar CM also talked to the MNS chief over the phone.
Stating that he “was still of the opinion that only Maharashtra Divas should be celebrated in Maharashtra”, Thackeray said, “I will continue to oppose the efforts of outsiders to increase their political strength through such celebrations. But, Thakur has promised that the programme will only be a cultural event and hence, I won’t oppose it.”
Tossing the ball in Kumar’s court, Thackeray said he ignited the controversy by making statements about not requiring visa to enter Mumbai. “I have made it clear that no leader other than Kumar should go on stage and no political statements should be made,” he warned.
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