Raj Thackeray to address North Indians at an event in December

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, known for his strong stand against Hindi- speaking people living in Mumbai, has agreed to attend an event being organised by a representative body of North Indians, his party said.

The event, being organised by the Uttar Bhartiya Mahapanchayat Sangh, is scheduled to take place on December 2 in suburban Kandivali.

The mahapanchayat sangh, a forum which claims to work for the welfare of North Indians living here, had last month invited Thackeray to attend its meeting and share his views on Hindi-speaking people working in Mumbai.

While there was no word from Thackeray, MNS leader and spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande took to Twitter to confirm the acceptance of the invitation by his party chief.

"Raj Thackeray has accepted the invitation given by the North Indian Forum. This function will take place in Kandivali on December 2, 2018," Deshpande tweeted in Marathi.

Later, speaking to PTI, Deshpande said the organisers wanted Thackeray to attend their meeting and clarify his stand on North Indians.

"Our party leader has accepted the same and he will express his thoughts on North Indians in Mumbai," he said.

In the past, the MNS, which advocates "sons-of-the- soil" theory, had launched a series of agitations against North Indians living in the financial capital.