New Delhi: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray was released on bail on Wednesday evening hours after he was arrested on the charge of promoting enmity among groups.
Raj was arrested from his Shivaji Park residence at around 1615 hrs IST on the charge of promoting enmity among regional groups by using invectives and provocative language over the presence of north Indians in Mumbai.
Political leaders cutting across party lines hailed police action in arresting Raj Thackeray.
Union Fertiliser Minister Ramvilas Paswan said the action was "belated but justified."
Paswan, who is also the President of Lok Janshakti Party was quoted by news agency PTI as saying, "Thackeray should have been arrested earlier for his comments that triggered violence against north Indians across several towns in Maharashtra. The law should have taken its course even earlier."
Condemning the attacks on North Indians in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh's opposition Telugu Desam Party asked Maharashtra government to protect the interests of Telugu people living in the state.
"The Constitution provides right to all citizens to live anywhere in the country. Those threatening this right deserve to be punished. The situation in Maharashtra arising out of the statements of Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray is a matter of concern," TDP Chief, N Chandrababu Naidu said.
"Telugu people constitute 40 per cent of the total devotees visiting Shirdi everyday. The owners of shops and hotes write the boards in Telugu for the convenience of the devotees. If there are orders that boards should be written in Marathi first, it can be done by speaking to the shop owners. The attempt to create disturbances is condemnable. Maharashtra government should be on guard against attempts of forces that seek to derive political mileage by promoting regional differences," he was further quoted as saying.
Uncle Condemns Raj
Meanwhile, in what would seem like a U-turn of sorts to some, Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray also indicated that he was not pleased with his nephew Raj Thackeray's campaign against north Indians.
"Maharashtra has always put the country's interests first and abided by the Rashtra dharma (national ethos)," Bal Thackeray was quoted by PTI as saying.
"Shivaji Maharaj took help of Pathans who belonged to other religion and other country in his fight against Mughal invaders," Bal Thackeray was quoted in an editorial published on Wednesday in Sena mouthpiece Saamana.
"We also want to carry out the same work. Those who will come with us are our friends, our brethren. We will not think about their caste, region and religion," he was quoted as saying.
The Left too welcomed Raj Thackeray's arrest, saying no one is above the law and urged the Mumbai Police to ensure that law and order was maintained at all costs.
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The CPI and the CPI(M) said the Mumbai Police had done the right thing as no one has the right to preach hatred and enmity among the communities on the basis of one's region. Besides, the Indian Constitution granted the right to every citizen to settle anywhere in the country to earn livelihood.
CPI leaders A B Bardhan and Shamim Faizi said the law should take its course and that the Mumbai Police make necessary arrangements to ensure safety of people and property.
BJP Slams Congress For Racist Row
BJP however, had its own agenda and instead of commenting on the arrest of Raj Thackeray, said that the developments in the state for the last ten days highlighted the failure of the ruling Congress-NCP coalition.
The party accused the Congress of "deliberately prolonging a situation that could have been controlled in hours" to divert the people's attention from real issues like farmer suicides and power shortage.
BJP Spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the Congress hoped that by letting the situation reach a boiling point and then stepping in to save the day, they (Congress) would become saviours for the common man.
Maharashtra BJP president Nitin Gadkari was quoted by PTI as saying that "prompt and immediate action could have avoided the tension which prevailed in the metropolis and the state for the last fortnight".
He demanded that the Maharashtra government should ensure that north Indians in the state feel safe.
Uttar Pradesh BJP Chief, Ramapati Tripathi, echoed the same sentiment and was quoted by agencies as saying that Raj Thackeray should have been arrested earlier and that the Maharashtra government deliberately delayed his arrest.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress President, Rita Bahujuna Joshi said: "Neither does anyone have the right to provoke and attempt to divide people in the name of region, language or religion, nor should anyone be allowed to take law into his own hands."
"The attempts made by certain political leaders to divide people on parochial lines caused much resentment among people belonging to Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, it was really appropriate on the part of the Maharashtra government to have taken action against both leaders," she was quoted by agencies as saying
The Spokesperson of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Samjawadi Party, said that Thackeray deserved to be arrested for starting the tirade against north Indians in Maharashtra.
Rashtriya Lok Dal spokesperson, Anil Dubey too said: "The right place for those who indulge in violence is jail. Thackeray should have been arrested earlier."
(With inputs from agencies)
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