Loudspeaker row: Maharashtra to hold all-party meeting

Police to take call on granting permission to Raj Thackeray’s Aurangabad rally on May 1 

With the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) refusing to budge on its ‘ultimatum’ to the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, State Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Wednesday said he would soon hold a meeting with top leaders of all political parties in the State as well as some organisations before taking a final decision on the matter.

Speaking to presspersons in Mumbai, Mr. Walse-Patil, who did not specify the date of the meet, said that invites for the all-party meet would also extend to Mr. Raj Thackeray and not just the ruling three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition of the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress.

The Home Minister further said that loudspeakers could be installed only after seeking permission from the police as stipulated by law.

Mr. Thackeray has exhorted MNS activists to play the Hanuman Chalisa if the government or the minority community failed to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3.

The Home Minister has already issued a thinly-veiled warning to the MNS that if any person or outfit attempts to create an atmosphere of social discord or unrest in Maharashtra, they would be sternly prosecuted and has said that the Maharashtra police were well-prepared to cope with any untoward incident.

Mr. Walse-Patil further informed that Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Rajnish Seth held a meeting with the top police authorities on the issue of loudspeakers on Tuesday and had already submitted a report to him today on the potential scenarios that may arise owing to the ongoing problem and the steps needed to counter them.

The Home Minister reiterated that no one ought to divide communities and appealed to everyone to maintain social harmony and not take the law into their hands.