Upping the political ante in Maharashtra, the BJP criticised the Uddhav Thackeray-led government over "arresting people for reciting Hanuman Chalisa". "Of late, I have seen here that arrests were made for reciting the Hanuman Chalisa or taking the name of Lord Ram. The soul of Thackeray saheb [late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray] would have been hurt," Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey said, speaking to reporters.
Independent MP from Amravati Navneet Rana and her husband and independent MLA Ravi Rana had recently announced that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa in front of Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai. They later dropped the plan, but were arrested for alleged sedition and "promoting enmity between different groups".
Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Friday said there was no law and order problem in the state and alleged some people were trying to portray there was one. Speaking at the inauguration of the Police Bhavan building for the city and rural police units in Nagpur, he said some anti-socials were trying to disturb peace in the state, and cited the untoward incidents and tension that engulfed Amravati and Malegaon areas in November last year during protests against violence in Tripura. He said such elements were then blaming the state government over law and order, in the process trying to "make an issue out of a non-issue".
