Puri Shankaracharya calls for 'reining in' Raj Thackeray

Amritsar, Oct 22 (UNI) The Shankaracharya of Jaganath Puri today called upon the Maharashtra government to ''rein in'' Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray as '' India belonged to all communities''.

''Rather than playing politics, the government should immediately check the activities of Raj Thackeray as his activities were against the interests of the country,'' the Shankaracharya said at a media conference here.

Maharashtra did not belong to any single community, but to all Indians, he added. The activities of the MNS chief could lead to the division of Maharashtra, he added while pointing out that in the past, such agitations had led to division of states.

Referring to the attacks on the Christian community in Orissa and elsewhere, the Hindu religious leader claimed that the attacks were a conspiracy of the central government. The government must take steps to protect the minorities, he added.

Opposing the demand for a ban on the Bajrang Dal, he said that was not a solution to the problem.

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