Amid Azaan row, MNS announces 'Maha Aarti' through loudspeakers on May 3

MNS leader and former MLA Bala Nandgaonkar said, "We have given an ultimatum for May 3. They should remove the loudspeakers on the mosques before that. On the occasion of Akshay Tritiya, which also falls on May 3 this year, we have also organized Maha Aarti with loudspeakers across several temples in the state."

Mumbai: With the Azaan issue sill brewing in the state after MNS leader Raj Thackeray's statement, the party has now decided to play 'Maha-aarti' across the state on the eve of Akshay Tritiya to be celebrated on May 3. The decision came after a meeting was held between MNS leaders at Thackeray's residence 'Shivteerth' in Mumbai on Tuesday.

After the meeting, MNS leader and former MLA Bala Nandgaonkar said, "We have given an ultimatum for May 3. They should remove the loudspeakers on the mosques before that. On the occasion of Akshay Tritiya, which also falls on May 3 this year, we have also organized Maha Aarti with loudspeakers across several temples in the state. We are hoping for all the workers and office bearers of the state to respond appropriately to this programme."

Raj Thackeray, he said, will hold another meeting in Aurangabad on the occasion of Maharashtra Day celebrated on May 1. Nandgaonkar also reiterated that Thackeray will visit Ayodhya on June 5 to offer his prayers to Lord Ram. "He has given some suggestions to MNS workers about his visit to Ayodhya. Our focus will be on making the Ayodhya tour more effective and successful," he said.

Shedding more light on the visit, senior MNS leader Nitin Sardesai said, "Today's meeting was held with a view to making the Ayodhya tour more successful and effective. Thousands of our workers from all over the state will accompany Raj saheb to Ayodhya. We have already paid a visit to the place to review the overall situation there. Considering the number of activists coming for this tour and the expected crowd, it is crucial that we discuss things with the Uttar Pradesh administration too well in advance," he said while adding that in the next few days, the party is likely to hold a meeting with the Yogi administration in this regard.

Highlighting that many people from across the state are interested in joining the tour after Thackeray announced it on April 17 during a press conference in Pune, Sardesai said that the tour will very likely be arranged via a train. "We will also have to discuss things with the railway administration. We, therefore, plan on speaking with the Railway Minister and the Director of Railways as well. We are already in correspondence with Minister of State for Railways Raosaheb Danve regarding the same," Sardesai added.