Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat on Friday attacked Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray’s “Marathi manoos” policies and said Maharashtra belonged to everybody and not only to the Marathi people.

Censuring Mr. Thackeray’s divisive policies, Mr. Bhagwat, who was on a three-day visit to Patna, said everybody had a right to earn his or her living in Maharashtra and there were no minorities in India. The RSS chief also stated that “while only Parsis and Jews could be considered as ethnic minorities, the concept of creating minorities was being used to satisfy selfish political ends.”

“While we may belong to diverse creeds, our ancestors are one and the same. Some selfish elements, who have come into prominence, are suppressing certain sections of society in the name of caste,” said Mr. Bhagwat.

“Science had proven otherwise and that our DNA is one and the same.” He stressed that the “need of the hour was to quell squabbles between different castes so as not to disturb the harmony of the country.”