By IANS,
Mumbai : Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has got yet another threat to his life, a party office-bearer said Friday evening.
The threat call from a mobile phone number was received at ‘Rajgad’, the party headquarters in Dadar. At the time, Raj was preparing to address the media at the MIG Club, Bandra, MNS secretary Nitin Sardesai told IANS.
The unknown caller, speaking in Hindu, used foul and abusive language and “threatened to eliminate Raj within four days,” Sardesai said.
The party promptly lodged a complaint with Shivaji Park police station and also provided the cell number from which the threat call was made.
Sardesai said that the matter is of serious concern for the party since Raj has not yet been given any police security – “Only our party activists are providing him with security cover,” he said.
When pointed out that the state government has reviewed the threat perceptions and restored the Z-category security, Sardesai said: “All this we are hearing from the media and TV channels. As of now, he does not have a single security guard. The party activists are presently guarding him.”
This afternoon, Raj made a maiden media appearance after his arrest last week in the wake of the anti-north Indian agitation launched by the MNS.
The agitation evoked widespread reaction at various levels around the state and elsewhere, leading to Raj’s arrest and he was forced to spend a night in a Dombivli police lock-up in neighbouring Thane district. After the agitation, the state government had withdrawn his security cover.
On Friday, however, Raj blew hot and stated that he was not opposed to Chhath Puja festival provided it was not reduced to “a political circus”. This provoked fresh reactions from different leaders in Maharashtra and elsewhere.
Chhath Puja is due to be celebrated at different venues in Mumbai next Tuesday (Nov 04).