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MNS under fire over MLA's pic with Raza Academy official

August 29, 2012 18:48 IST

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Wednesday launched a veiled attack on the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, led by his estranged nephew Raj Thackeray, following publication of a photo showing an MNS leader with a functionary of Raza Academy.

A protest organised by Raza Academy and others against incidents in Assam and Myanmar in Mumbao on August 11 had turned violent.

The photo published in Sena mouthpiece Saamana on August 27 showed MNS MLA Bala Nandgaonkar at a meeting with the Raza Academy functionary, along with the Congress leader Kripashankar Singh.

"Political parties which sit next to rioters take out morchas four days later against the same rioters. Is this not a betrayal of Hindus," Thackeray asked, in an editorial in the newspaper on Wednesday.

Thackeray's remarks have come as a surprise as the Sena mouthpiece had devoted a major portion of its front page to the MNS chief's rally, held on August 21 against the violence.

Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member and spokesperson Sanjay Raut had mentioned in his weekly column, "Raj Thackeray organised a morcha and gave vent to the simmering discontent. Mumbaikars participated in the morcha in large numbers. This was a reaction to the action of the rioters."

Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray's recent ailment saw Raj rushing to be at Uddhav's bedside, when the latter went in for an angiography and even drove Uddhav back from the hospital to his home.