Citizenship law / Who are you showing your strength?: Raj Thackeray to anti-CAA protesters

Raj Thackeray has lent support to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in his public rally in Mumbai on Sunday and questioned those opposing the legislation that aims to expedite Indian citizenship to the minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. He is also demanding the expulsion of Bangladeshi and Pakistani ‘infiltrators’ from the country.

“I don’t understand why the Muslims who were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, were doing so. CAA is not for the Muslims who were born here,” said the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief in a reference to protests against the amended citizenship act, which are mostly led by Muslims, across the country.

“To whom are you showing your strength?” Raj asked at the Azad Maidan, where thousands of party workers have gathered to witness the firebrand leader, who is trying to rejuvenate the party by returning to a hardline Hindutva ideology under a new flag.

Before arriving for the march that started from the Hindu Gymkhana in South Mumbai, Thackeray visited Siddhivinayak temple earlier today.

The MNS has dubbed the “infiltrators” from Pakistan and Bangladesh as country’ enemies and asked he Hindus to stay “alert” at all times.

In the last few days in the run-up to the Sunday march, he has been demanding the exit of the “infiltrators” from the country.

“This Morcha (front or rally) is a befitting answer to those who have been staging morchas,” Raj said, in what appeared to be a reference to agitations held against NRC, NPR, and CAA.

While Mixed signals on CAA and NRC have come out from the Maharasthra government, Raj Thackeray’s stand was unambiguous.

Raj Thackeray’s cousin Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of right-wing party Shiv Sena is now the Maharashtra chief minister running the government in alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), prompting many to surmise that coalition compulsions may lead to some dilution in Sena’s hardline Hindutva, creating space for others like Raj to fill.

Scores of MNS workers raised slogans in the favour of NRC at the march.

According to a press note issued by the Maharashtra police yesterday, additional 600 police personnel have been deployed for the rally apart from the routine deployment of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Riot Control Police.