'No Marathi Manus backs them': BJP's Manoj Tiwari hits back at Raj Thackeray over Chhath row

NewsIndia News'No Marathi Manus backs them': BJP's Manoj Tiwari hits back at Raj Thackeray over Chhath row 'No Marathi Manus backs them': BJP's Manoj Tiwari hits back at Raj Thackeray over Chhath row Edited by Rohitashwa Ranjan / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Nov 13, 2026, 23:26 IST NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday hit back at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray after he accused the saffron party of attempting to incite tensions in Mumbai by exploiting the issue of Chhath Puja.Speaking to news agency ANI, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said people in Maharashtra, including the "Marathi Manus", had rejected such political posturing and no longer entertained rhetoric aimed at undermining cultural celebrations."It is precisely this kind of behaviour that is leading them toward their own downfall.

Who even pays any heed to these people in Maharashtra today? No Marathi Manus is willing to give them any standing, all because of these very actions," the BJP MP said."On the other hand, there is immense support for Chhath; in fact, leader Devendra Fadnavis is a great devotee of the festival and is making all the necessary arrangements for those observing the Chhath fast," he added.This comes after Thackeray on Thursday accused the BJP of attempting to create social and cultural tensions in Mumbai by using Chhath Puja as an issue and urged the public not to fall into its trap.He also alleged that the party was trying to provoke a conflict between Marathi and North Indian communities ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

In a post on X, Thackeray alleged that the BJP and the social media ecosystem it had nurtured were making every possible effort to create discord in Maharashtra by circulating reels related to Chhath Puja and what he described as "cultural aggression" in its name.Join conversation InsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig Development "However, the BJP appears to be disappointed that all these efforts have still not managed to create the kind of conflict it expects.

And all this exercise is being undertaken with the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections in mind," he said."Whenever Lok Sabha elections approach, it tries to ignite Hindu-Muslim tensions. It brings Muslim women wearing burqas into playgrounds and gardens and attempts to scare people by saying, 'Look, look, now they have reached our playgrounds and gardens.' Of course, several videos of people wearing burqas to create an atmosphere of terror among Hindu women and men are already visible on social media," he added.

Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app. Rohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind.

His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.

Modi Govt Extends Ban On Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation For 5 Years Under UAPA Sonam Wangchuk Under ‘House Arrest’ As Leh Apex Body Seeks To Postpone Winter Polls Dead Fish In Yamuna: BJP Accuses AAP Of Staging Incident, Kejriwal's Party Hits Back Indonesian Woman With Alleged Chinese Links Caught At Sonauli Border With Multiple Indian IDs 'Kashmir Was, Is And Will Be India's': Farooq Abdullah Urges Pakistan To End Terrorism 'Sam Bhai...Gujarati Friend': PM Modi-Sam Pitroda's X Exchange Goes Viral ‘Clean Chit To Gandhi Family’: 1984 Anti-Sikh Riot Victims' Families Burn Sonia’s Memoir ‘Pay ₹7 Crore Or...’: Kejriwal, Daughter Get ‘Death Threat’ From ‘Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Member’ Owaisi, Chandra Shekhar Azad Form Alliance For 2027 UP Polls; SP, Congress React