“We want to send the message that the attacks on north Indians in Maharashtra must stop now. Maharashtrians too stay in other parts of India. Members of Parliament from Maharashtra come to Delhi. If attacks on north Indians do not stop there, it is possible there may be reactions here,” he said.

Attacking his former party, Goyal said: “The party is no different from the separatist and extremist forces active in Jammu and Kashmir. The main aim of these forces is to split the country. I joined Shiv Sena not to divide this nation but to strengthen Hindutva, our national language Hindi and for the overall unification of our country.”

Goyal, however, maintains that he still has some respect for Balasaheb Thackeray. “He is a living legend who has made efforts to serve Hindus. But from the time Uddhav Thackerey has taken over as the working president of Shiv Sena, Balasaheb’s role has been reduced to that of a mere puppet and he is acting according to his son’s wishes,” he said.