The largest autorickshaw union in Mumbai today wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding immediate action against MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his provocative remarks wherein he appealed to party workers to "burn the autorickshaws of outsiders".
In the letter, Mumbai Autorickshaw Taximen's Union chief Shashank Rao alleged that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers were behind the torching of an autorickshaw in suburban Andheri last night.
"State government swung into the action after we regularly followed up the matter with it and second phase of allotting permits to autorickshaw men (started). However, Raj Thackeray has opposed this and asked his men to set autorickshaws ablaze and unfortunately it has happened," the letter stated.
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Rao alleged that torching of the auto rickshaw was the handiwork of MNS workers.
"I request you to step in and order an inquiry into the incident as after Raj Thackeray's speech all auto rickshaw drivers are frightened," he wrote.
Rao requested Fadnavis to take immediate action against Raj as "you owe the responsibility to provide safety and security to us".
The MNS chief had said that 70 per cent of the total 70,000 new autorickshaw permits were given to non-Marathis and exhorted MNS workers to set on fire such autos if they were seen plying on roads.
MNS yesterday burnt an effigy of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Yogesh Sagar in front of his office at SV Road, near Kandivali station in Mumbai.
