Raj Thackeray's Chhath Puja remarks draw fire from Chirag Paswan, Prashant Kishor
Synopsis
Raj Thackeray's allegation that the BJP was using Chhath Puja to stoke regional tensions in Mumbai has boomeranged — with Union Minister Chirag Paswan and Jan Suraaj Party's Prashant Kishor calling it a cynical play for headlines. The row, arriving at the intersection of Maharashtra politics and the looming UP elections, puts the MNS's long-running anti-migrant posture back under the national spotlight.
Key Takeaways
MNS chief Raj Thackeray accused the BJP of manufacturing regional conflict in Mumbai over Chhath Puja to influence the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections .
Thackeray claimed Bhojpuri music was played at Mumbai railway stations and that the MNS intervened to stop it.
Prashant Kishor said Thackeray makes anti-Bihar and anti-UP remarks every six months solely to stay in the media spotlight.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan said the MNS has 'consistently promoted regionalism' and noted that the late Bal Thackeray never insulted North Indians.
VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal called for Hindu festivals to be kept above politics.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray came under sharp criticism on Saturday, 14 November over his remarks targeting the Chhath Puja festival, with Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor and Union Minister Chirag Paswan accusing him of stoking regionalism and chasing media attention. The backlash followed statements Thackeray made a day earlier, in which he alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was deliberately manufacturing regional and linguistic tensions in Mumbai around Chhath Puja to gain political ground ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
What Raj Thackeray Said
In a post on social media platform X, Thackeray alleged that the BJP was circulating social media reels depicting Chhath Puja rituals and framing them as a 'cultural invasion.' He further claimed that attempts were made to play Bhojpuri music at certain Mumbai railway stations, which he said the MNS had promptly stopped. His remarks were widely seen as directed at migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh living and working in the city.
Prashant Kishor's Reaction
Bankipur MLA and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor dismissed Thackeray's remarks as a calculated bid for relevance. 'When no one pays him any attention, he manages to secure space in the media by making remarks about people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,' Kishor told reporters. He urged the media not to amplify such voices, adding: 'His only agenda is to remain in the media spotlight by any means necessary. Whenever he goes unnoticed for six months, he pops up with some comment against people from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh.'
Chirag Paswan Invokes Bal Thackeray
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan called the MNS's stance a reflection of its longstanding ideology. 'This has always been the ideology and thinking of his party. They have consistently promoted regionalism in politics,' Paswan said. He underscored the economic contribution of migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, stating that they work across the country 'as labourers, as part of the workforce or as entrepreneurs and business owners.' Notably, Paswan pointed out that Thackeray's uncle, the late Bal Thackeray, never insulted North Indians or promoted regionalism, adding: 'I think this kind of thinking should not be encouraged.'
VHP Calls for Politics-Free Festival Celebrations
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) national spokesperson Vinod Bansal urged political leaders to keep Hindu festivals above partisan considerations. Describing Chhath Puja as a grand celebration of Lord Surya and nature, Bansal said: 'We feel that when Hindu festivals arrive, they should be above politics, something that has not been seen over the past few decades.' He added that 'hateful politics, anti-Hindu politics, or anti-religion politics automatically gets exposed' in such contexts.
Broader Context
This is not the first time Raj Thackeray has drawn criticism over remarks targeting migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in Maharashtra — the MNS has historically built its political identity around a Maharashtra-first platform. The controversy arrives at a politically sensitive moment, with Maharashtra Assembly elections having concluded recently and the Uttar Pradesh elections on the horizon, making the North Indian migrant vote a focal point for multiple parties. Critics argue that such rhetoric risks deepening fault lines in a city where millions of migrants form the backbone of the labour economy.
Point of View
Not the MNS — is a rhetorical inversion that mainstream coverage has largely let pass unchallenged. The MNS has built its entire political architecture on the sons-of-the-soil doctrine; accusing a rival of the same impulse does not neutralise that record. What is striking is the timing: with Maharashtra elections freshly concluded and UP elections approaching, every party is calibrating its position on the North Indian migrant vote — a constituency too large to alienate and too visible to ignore. Paswan's invocation of Bal Thackeray is also pointed: it draws a generational contrast that implicitly questions whether Raj Thackeray has the political capital his uncle once commanded.
NationPress
14 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Raj Thackeray say about Chhath Puja?
Raj Thackeray alleged that the BJP was deliberately stoking regional and linguistic tensions in Mumbai around Chhath Puja to gain political advantage ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. He claimed the BJP was circulating social media reels framing the festival's rituals as a 'cultural invasion' and that Bhojpuri music was played at Mumbai railway stations, which the MNS stopped.
Why did Chirag Paswan criticise Raj Thackeray?
Union Minister Chirag Paswan accused Thackeray of consistently promoting regionalism through his party's ideology. He also noted that Thackeray's uncle, the late Bal Thackeray, never insulted North Indians, and argued that migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are vital contributors to India's economy.
What was Prashant Kishor's response to Thackeray's remarks?
Jan Suraaj Party founder and Bankipur MLA Prashant Kishor said Thackeray makes remarks targeting people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh every six months solely to attract media coverage. He urged journalists not to give such individuals a platform.
What did the VHP say about the controversy?
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal urged political leaders to keep Hindu festivals free from partisan politics. He described Chhath Puja as a celebration of Lord Surya and nature, and said hateful or anti-religion politics ultimately exposes itself.
Is this the first time Raj Thackeray has made such remarks?
No. The MNS has historically built its political identity around a Maharashtra-first platform, and Thackeray has previously drawn criticism for remarks targeting migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in Mumbai. Critics argue the latest controversy follows a well-established pattern.
