Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said his government is not against any festival and the Opposition is playing politics over Covid-19 restrictions. His estranged cousin Raj Thackeray accused the government of enforcing curbs to create a situation beneficial to the ruling parties and raised questions over works worth thousands of crores that were approved under the “garb” of the pandemic.

Inaugurating an oxygen plant in Thane, Uddhav took potshots at the Opposition, after the BJP and MNS insisted on celebrating the Dahi Handi festival on the city’s streets on Tuesday. BJP had organised a state-wide protest on Monday demanding the reopening of religious places and given Govindas a call to celebrate their favourite ‘human pyramid’ sport on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami. In many places, the leaders and workers were detained by police on Monday and Tuesday.