Unlike Shiv Sena, MNS never compromised on principles, says Raj Thackeray's close aide
India Today
MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said his party never compromised on principles and accused Shiv Sena of compromising its beliefs on Hindutva after coming to power in Maharashtra.
A day after Raj Thackeray was detained and fined for putting up a loudspeaker and playing Hanuman Chalisa, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has hit out at Shiv Sena, saying the party does not compromise on its principles.
Speaking to India Today, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said that it was surprising that they had been fined for playing the Hanuman Chalisa.
“How many times are they going to fine us? From where they will pull down all the loudspeakers. Look at who wants to punish us. Look at who wants to fine us. The son of late Balasahib Thackeray. The Chief Minister (Uddhav Thackeray) should let us know what his position is on this issue,” he said.
READ | MNS chief Raj Thackeray tells Maharashtra govt to remove loudspeakers from mosques
Sandeep Deshpande reiterated the line of Raj Thackeray, emphasising that the MNS wasn’t against any religion and beliefs but said, “Your beliefs and practices shouldn’t disturb others. That’s all that we are saying.”
The MNS leader further said that the party never compromised on principles, even when they didn’t have enough elected representatives.
“You see today the situation of Shiv Sena is aligned with the Congress and the NCP who don’t take the Hindutva stance. Before the elections, the Sena was with the BJP and fought on the Hindutva plank and after the election results, they compromised their beliefs and went with Congress and the NCP and cheated the people. You see people are seeing this. But we have stayed firm with our beliefs in Hindutva. The speech of Raj Thackeray at Shivaji Park was just a reflection of what we are and what we believe in. We never changed our stance on Hindutva,” he added.