'No Yogis, Only Bhogis': Raj Thackeray Lauds CM Yogi's Crackdown On Loudspeakers In UP, Takes Dig At Maharashtra Govt

In an apparent jibe at Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday (28 April) said that the state doesn't have 'yogis' in power but bhogis (hedonists).

The MNS chief made the remarks while congratulating the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh for removing loud speakers from religious places.

"I wholeheartedly congratulate and stand grateful to the Yogi governmetn for having removed the loudspeakers from religious places, specially the masjids," Thackeray said in a statement posted on Twitter.

"Unfortunately in Maharashtra we don't have any 'yogis'; what we have are 'bhogis' (hedonists)," he said.

"Here's hoping and praying good sense prevails," the MNS chief added.

It should be noted that in the last few days, the Yogi government has managed to remove over 11,000 loudspeakers in religious places while the volume of another 35,000 loudspeakers has been lowered to the permissible levels.

In his address at a Gudi Padwa gathering early this month, Raj Thackeray said his party workers will play Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques if the state government does not remove loudspeakers from the mosques in the state. Later, he also gave an ultimatum to the state government to remove loudspeakers from mosques before 3 May, reports Hindustan Times.