The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Friday derided Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav for his decision to perform Chhat puja in Mumbai, saying people of Maharashtra will give a response when the time comes.
Speaking to reporters at Ranchi on Thursday, the RJD leader said that if possible, he would go to Mumbai to perform Chhat puja.
Responding to Prasad's comments, MNS spokesperson and former MLC Shishir Shinde said, "The people of Maharashtra will respond when the time comes. You will also see action from MNS."
"Anyway, Chhat puja is still a long time away. But Maharashtra and MNS will respond to what he (Lalu) has said," Shinde said, expressing his resentment over the remarks by the RJD leader who had recently termed MNS chief Raj Thackeray as a 'child in politics'.
Lalu had condemned the 'provocative and unconstitutional' statements of Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, saying people of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, staying in Mumbai, were afraid of venturing out of their homes.
After dithering for over a week, the Maharashtra government on February 13 arrested Raj Thackeray, whose comments against North Indians had sparked off violent incidents and kept the financial capital on tenterhooks for the last 10 days.
Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi, who was involved in a war of words with Raj over the latter's statements against actor Amitabh Bachchan and migrants, was also arrested. Both were granted bail.
Police had registered cases against Raj and Azmi on charges of inciting regional hatred and enmity between communities.
Violence during the last 10 days has so far claimed two lives, both in Nashik. On February 13, a Maharashtrian employee of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited was killed following stone-pelting on his bus, allegedly by MNS supporters.
A migrant from Bihar, who was working as a watchman with a private company at Igatpuri in Nashik district, was killed by a mob.