Raj Thackeray to undergo hip bone surgery on June 1

Pune, May 22 (IANS) The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray has said he would undergo a surgery for knee and back problems on June 1, here on Sunday."I shall be undergoing hip bone surgery on June 1... I have been in pain since some time in the legs and now also in the back," Raj -- the estranged cousin of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray -- said at a rally here.It may be recalled that the MNS chief was planning to go on trip to Ayodhya on June 5, but last week he abruptly cancelled it, and was interpreted as a huge setback to the party.There was much speculation whether the trip was deferred owing to certain health issues and he himself set right the records on Sunday.Earlier, he faced jibes from many politicians, including from the ruling Shiv Sena- Nationalist Congress Party-Congress, and other parties over the Ayodhya tour cancellation especially since it came at the peak of the 'anti-loudspeakers' row in the state.The trip postponement was sought to be linked with threats by Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, who has openly "vowed" to block Raj's entry there till he apologises for the humiliating treatment meted out to North Indians during the MNS's 2008 agitation.
--IANS qn/dpb

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