Mumbai: Amid an ongoing war of words over ‘Hindutva’, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that the BJP ruling at the Centre has clearly deviated from its core Hindutva ideology.
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut also asserted that his party was the first to contest any elections on the core issue of ‘Hindutva’.
“Shiv Sena was the first party in the country to contest elections on the issue of Hindutva...BJP new leaders (Nav Hindutvavadi), are not aware of history, someone has torn the pages of their history. But from time to time, we'll give them information,” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying by ANI.
Shiv Sena was the first party in the country to contest elections on the issue of Hindutva...BJP new leaders (Nav Hindutvavadi), are not aware of history, someone has torn the pages of their history. But from time to time we'll give them information: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut pic.twitter.com/TEUecQkqsc
— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2022
Raut on Monday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that his party took BJP from the bottom to the top in Maharashtra. He also reiterated Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray`s statement and said that BJP only uses “Hindutva for power’’.
Talking with the media, Raut said, "We took BJP from bottom to top in Maharashtra. After Babri, there was a Shiv Sena wave in Northern India; if we had fought polls at that time, there would have been our (Shiv Sena) Prime Minister in the country but we left it for them. BJP only uses Hindutva for power."
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik also spoke in favour of Uddhav Thackeray’s `Wasted 25 years with BJP` remark.
"It is a fact that the parties that made an alliance with BJP were gradually destroyed by them. It`s good to take pride in one`s religion, but it is not right to have hatred towards other religions," he said.
Uddhav Thackeray`s remarks came on the 96th birth anniversary of the party founder Bal Thackeray.
"We are the ones who supported them (BJP). We had an alliance for 25 years. BJP used Hindutva for power. We left BJP but will not leave Hindutva. BJP is not Hindutva. Tactics were used against us when we challenged them," he said.
He also said that the BJP has used Hindutva for power. The BJP, however, reacted sharply to Maharashtra Chief Minister's remark and reminded it to introspect whether Shiv Sena is actually following late Bal Thackeray's ideology.
“Before lecturing on Hindutva, Uddhav Thackeray should introspect whether Shiv Sena is following late Bal Thackeray's ideology, who had said that in politics and life his party will never join Congress, & if such circumstances arise, he would prefer locking party (office),” Ram Kadam of the BJP said.
