Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray cautioned his cadre members to stay away from religious conflict that could potentially distract them from economic issues, at a meeting at Thane on September 6.

“The atmosphere is being vitiated, and anger is being created in society by heating up the situation through social media. I have the greatest fear that riots will be created during the upcoming Ganesh festival,” he said.

Speaking to his party office-bearers in Thane, Mr. Thackeray urged citizens to remain alert and avoid falling into traps designed to incite religious conflict to distract the public from pressing socio-economic challenges.

Mr. Thackeray also raised questions about the first quarter GDP growth of 7.8%, asking why people were being told to avoid foreign trips and buying gold at a time of robust economic growth. Citing what he described as a government report, the MNS chief claimed that 503 companies had shut down their operations in India between 2021 and 2026.

He further said that Prime Minister Modi’s picture can be in government spaces, but not alongside figures of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dr. B R Ambedkar and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule.A criminal case was registered against Mr. Raj’s son Amit Thackeray and others, for allegedly removing a photograph of PM Modi at the Government Polytechnic Pune. Mr. Raj Thackeray also raised the issue of linguistic politics, claiming non-Marathi speakers are being manipulated to spark language disputes.