States » WestPosted at: Nov 13 2026 2:33PM


Raj Thackeray accuses BJP of stoking over Chhath Puja for UP polls

Mumbai, Nov 13 (UNI) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Friday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing it of deliberately attempting to engineer communal friction in Maharashtra over Chhath Puja to reap political dividends in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
In a strongly worded social media post, Thackeray alleged that the BJP, unable to win elections on the strength of its development work, resorts to instigating clashes between communities and winning polls on 'the spilt blood of people'.
He claimed that the ruling party and its 'poisonous social media' machinery were making desperate efforts to create unrest in Mumbai and across Maharashtra over the Chhath Puja issue. Referring to recent incidents of Bhojpuri songs being played at railway stations—which were subsequently stopped by MNS workers—Thackeray remarked that the BJP was frustrated as its attempts to trigger a confrontation had failed. Taking a jibe at the party's leadership, he asserted that the intellectual capacity of the BJP's 'think tank' had weakened.
The MNS chief further accused the BJP-led union Government of ruining the country and plundering Maharashtra's resources. He alleged that the state was being systematically handed over to a single industrialist and his associates, with forests, lands, and even the historic Sahyadri mountain ranges being hollowed out on central directives.
Urging the Marathi populace to exercise caution, Thackeray appealed to them not to fall into the BJP's political trap or fight on a battleground chosen by the ruling party. Invoking Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he said, "We must remember Shivaji's guerrilla tactics (Ganimi Kava). We will decide when and how to respond, and our anger will be unleashed at the right time."
Issuing a stern warning against what he termed "cultural frenzy" in the name of worship, Thackeray cautioned those attempting to undermine Maharashtra's cultural ethos not to mistake the state's calm for weakness.
He also advised the North Indian and Gujarati communities residing in Maharashtra to recognise that the BJP was pitting them against Marathi locals solely for political self-interest, warning of strong repercussions if they joined forces with the ruling party to confront the native population.
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