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Azmi dares Raj, offers Rs2 cr to prove charge
MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday evoked angry reactions from his political rivals for his remarks against them at Tuesday’s rally, with Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi daring him to substantiate his charge that illegal Bangladeshi migrants contributed to the latter’s electoral victories and the Dalit activists burning his effigy.
On a day when his party workers lodged an FIR against Raj Thackeray under Section 504 of IPC (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) for his remarks at his Azad Maidan rally, Azmi offered Rs2 crore to the MNS chief, if the latter established that there were one lakh illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi.
Bhiwandi in Thane district was one of the two constituencies from where Azmi was elected to Maharashtra Assembly in 2009 polls. While Azmi had defeated a Shiv Sena nominee in Bhiwandi by a margin of 12,985 votes, he had won the Mankhurd seat by a margin of 14,117 votes.
Responding to the MNS chief’s charge that he had won the 2009 polls from two constituencies mainly because of the support of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, Azmi restricted his challenge to Bhiwandi, to which Raj had charged that the SP leader had made a provocative speech at a Raza Academy rally a few years ago leading to the lynching of two policemen.
Displaying a cheque for Rs2 crore at a news conference here, Azmi said: “I give him two months’ time to prove that there were illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan among the voters who elected to the State Assembly from Bhiwandi. The allegations made by Raj Thackeray are baseless. If he proves that I won the poll in Bhiwandi because of the support of Bangladeshis, then I would hand him over Rs2 crore and apologise to him”.
Azmi said: “I was not present at the riots at Bhiwandi that Raj has referred to in his speech. In fact, after the riots, I received a call from Bhiwandi and I went there and helped the authorities in bringing down the situation under control”.
“During the rally, Raj abused me. Even I can hurl abuses at him, but my tehzeeb doesn’t allow me to do so,” Azmi said.
Congratulating Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik for displaying “restraint” while handling the riots at the Azad Maidan on August 11, Azmi said: “The drug mafia was behind the riots. The culprits joined the protest morcha later”.
Alluding to a Bangladeshi passport displayed by Raj at his Azad Maidan rally, the State SP chief said: “The authorities should inquire into the recovery of a Banglladeshi passport which Raj said was found abandoned after the riots at Azad Maidan.”
In a related development, supporters of RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athavale – burnt an effigy of the MNS chief in front of the Mumbai suburban district collector’s office at Bandra in protest against Raj’s remarks against various Dalit leaders, including Mayawati, Athavale, Prakash Ambedkar and RS Gavai, at Tuesday’s rally.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday evoked angry reactions from his political rivals for his remarks against them at Tuesday’s rally, with Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi daring him to substantiate his charge that illegal Bangladeshi migrants contributed to the latter’s electoral victories and the Dalit activists burning his effigy.
On a day when his party workers lodged an FIR against Raj Thackeray under Section 504 of IPC (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) for his remarks at his Azad Maidan rally, Azmi offered Rs2 crore to the MNS chief, if the latter established that there were one lakh illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi.
Bhiwandi in Thane district was one of the two constituencies from where Azmi was elected to Maharashtra Assembly in 2009 polls. While Azmi had defeated a Shiv Sena nominee in Bhiwandi by a margin of 12,985 votes, he had won the Mankhurd seat by a margin of 14,117 votes.
Responding to the MNS chief’s charge that he had won the 2009 polls from two constituencies mainly because of the support of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, Azmi restricted his challenge to Bhiwandi, to which Raj had charged that the SP leader had made a provocative speech at a Raza Academy rally a few years ago leading to the lynching of two policemen.
Displaying a cheque for Rs2 crore at a news conference here, Azmi said: “I give him two months’ time to prove that there were illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan among the voters who elected to the State Assembly from Bhiwandi. The allegations made by Raj Thackeray are baseless. If he proves that I won the poll in Bhiwandi because of the support of Bangladeshis, then I would hand him over Rs2 crore and apologise to him”.
Azmi said: “I was not present at the riots at Bhiwandi that Raj has referred to in his speech. In fact, after the riots, I received a call from Bhiwandi and I went there and helped the authorities in bringing down the situation under control”.
“During the rally, Raj abused me. Even I can hurl abuses at him, but my tehzeeb doesn’t allow me to do so,” Azmi said.
Congratulating Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik for displaying “restraint” while handling the riots at the Azad Maidan on August 11, Azmi said: “The drug mafia was behind the riots. The culprits joined the protest morcha later”.
Alluding to a Bangladeshi passport displayed by Raj at his Azad Maidan rally, the State SP chief said: “The authorities should inquire into the recovery of a Banglladeshi passport which Raj said was found abandoned after the riots at Azad Maidan.”
In a related development, supporters of RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athavale – burnt an effigy of the MNS chief in front of the Mumbai suburban district collector’s office at Bandra in protest against Raj’s remarks against various Dalit leaders, including Mayawati, Athavale, Prakash Ambedkar and RS Gavai, at Tuesday’s rally.
