Raj Thackeray appeals for calm ahead of ED appearance

In what would be a major show of strength, leaders and cadre of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has decided to accompany Raj Thackeray when he appears before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday.

However, Raj, the nephew of late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, had appealed for calm.

That MNS leaders and workers would go to the ED regional office in Mumbai emerged at a meeting of senior leaders.

On Sunday, ED summoned Raj vis-a-vis alleged irregularities related to Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS) loan in Kohinoor CTNL.

"When Raj saheb goes to ED office, we are going to be with him," senior MNS leader and close Raj aide Bala Nandgaonkar said. "Since the ED notice, we are flooded with calls, messages and support on the social media," said Nandgaonkar, who was a minister in the erstwhile Sena-BJP government.

Opposition parties Congress and NCP are rallying behind Raj.

On Monday, after indirect Mumbai bandh calls by a section of MNS leaders, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Home Minister, has said that he would not allow law and order to be disrupted.

Meanwhile, Raj, in a signed statement appealed for calm and said that such cases were not new to him. "This time too, we must honour the summons of ED," he said, requesting for "peace and harmony".

"No harm or damage should come upon any public property and the common man should not suffer in any way," he said, requesting MNS workers to maintain utmost calm even if provoked.