'Won't Be Responsible': Thackeray Firm on 3 May Deadline for Loudspeaker Removal

He said that if the loudspeakers were not removed, then all Hindus should play Hanuman Chalisa outside mosques.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. 

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said on Sunday, 1 May, that loudspeakers must be removed from mosques in the state by 3 May, adding that if it were not done, then all Hindus should play Hanuman Chalisa outside the mosques.

"Eid will be celebrated on 3 May. We don’t want to vitiate the atmosphere. But from 4 May, if loudspeakers are not brought down (from mosques), then all Hindus should play Hanuman Chalisa at double the volume in front of those mosques," Thackeray said while addressing a rally in Aurangabad, as per PTI.

He also said that he would not be held responsible for what happens after the 3 May deadline.

"I won’t be responsible for what all happens after the 3 May deadline to remove the loudspeakers from the mosques," the MNS chief added.

'If UP Govt Can Remove Loudspeakers, Why Not Maharashtra?'

Thackeray also said that if the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath, could remove loudspeakers from mosques in the state, there was no reason why the Maharashtra government, led by the MNS chief's cousin Uddhav Thackeray, couldn't do the same.

"Don’t force us to take an extreme stand. If loudspeakers in UP can come down, then why not in Maharashtra. Loudspeakers at temples shall also be brought down, but only after them (mosques). Loudspeakers are illegal and they don’t have permission. Why only we should suffer due to loudspeakers?" Thackeray said.

He also urged the state's police to look into the matter, saying that loudspeakers had no place in religious matters.

"If they (Muslims) don’t understand nicely, we will show them the power of Maharashtra," Thackeray said, adding that all loudspeakers atop mosques were illegal. "Is it a concert that so many loudspeakers are being used?"

Thackeray had fixed the 3 May deadline for the removal of loudspeakers from mosques during a rally in Thane last month, and had threatened to play Hanuman Chalisa if the deadline were not adhered to.

(With inputs from PTI.)