MNS corporator Surekha Parab hosts Chhath Puja in Malad even as party opposes the festival

A Chhath Puja is being organised in the Appa Pada area of Malad East, Mumbai, on behalf of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The event has been organised by party corporator Surekha Parab and her brother Bhaskar Parab, the MNS vibhag adhyaksh (division president). The MNS is opposing Chhath Puja in Mumbai and the state, and the event organised by the party's own corporator has set off much discussion.

The MNS has made vigorous preparations for the puja. Banners about the Chhath Puja programme have also been put up on a large scale in the area.

Earlier, the MNS had strongly opposed Chhath Puja and the immersion of puja material at places such as Mumbai's historic Banganga tank and Girgaon Chowpatty. MNS workers held an aggressive protest against the gathering planned at Banganga and warned that the puja would not be allowed there under any circumstances.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray has alleged that in the name of Chhath Puja, a "show of strength" or "cultural encroachment" is being carried out in Maharashtra. He says that with the coming Uttar Pradesh elections in view, the BJP is deliberately creating a dispute between the Marathi and North Indian communities in Mumbai.

According to Thackeray, the BJP and the social media network it has nurtured are doing everything they can to create friction over Chhath Puja. He said reels are being posted on social media for this purpose. Bhojpuri songs were also played at some railway stations in Mumbai, which the MNS had stopped. Thackeray said that despite this, the confrontation the BJP wants is not materialising, and that the party is irritated by it.

He also said the BJP's think tank appears to have weakened, because the "divide and rule" formula, tried for years to win elections, will no longer work. In his view, a Hindu-Muslim dispute is stoked whenever Lok Sabha elections arrive, and poison is spread among castes as state elections near. Thackeray said that last year, to win the Mumbai municipal corporation election, a Gujarati versus Marathi dispute was stoked over the pigeon-feeding spot (kabutarkhana) issue. He added that the real work is done by the Election Commission and that all this is merely an excuse to explain the victory.

Thackeray claimed that the Gen Z movement has started the BJP's journey of falling from power, from the Centre to the states. He appealed to Marathi people not to fight on the battlefield laid out by the BJP, and to remember guerrilla tactics. He said Marathi people would themselves decide whom to answer, when and how. He also asked North Indians and the Gujarati community not to align with the BJP and confront Marathis. To Marathi brothers and sisters and Maharashtra Sainiks, he said not to fall into the trap but to remain alert, and that a decision would be taken at the right time.