Fadnavis hits out at Shiv Sena over Thackeray's 'Hindutva' remark
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis hit out at the Shiv Sena over Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's remark that the BJP uses Hindutva for power. Thackeray's Hindutva is only on paper, Fadnavis said. While the Sena is "merely mincing words" on Hindutva, the BJP has put in the work by building the Ram Temple and the Kashi Viswanath Corridor, he added.
Why does this story matter?
Fadnavis' comment comes after sitting Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray attacked the BJP for using Hindutva for political power. Thackeray had said that 25 years of Shiv Sena's alliance with BJP was a waste of time. The BJP and the Shiv Sena fell out over power-sharing after the 2019 Maharashtra polls. Shiv Sena is now running the Maharashtra government with Nationalist Congress Party and Congress.
What did Thackeray say?
Addressing Shiv Sainiks on Balasaheb Thackeray's birth anniversary on Sunday, Thackeray said the Sena had left the BJP, not Hindutva. "I believe that BJP's opportunistic Hindutva is only for power. The Shiv Sena had aligned with the BJP as it wanted power for Hindutva," the Maharashtra CM said. He further added that the Shiv Sena never used Hindutva for the sake of power.
'25 years in alliance with BJP were wasted'
"My only disappointment is that once upon a time, they were our friends. We nurtured them. As I said earlier, our 25 years in alliance with the BJP were wasted," Thackeray said during his address to the party workers.
We took bullets in Ram Janmabhoomi movement: Fadnavis
Targeting Thackeray over the comment, Fadnavis said, "Where were you in the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign? We took the bullets and the lathis." "Today, the Ram temple is being built at Ayodhya under the leadership of PM Modi," he said in a press conference. He further sought to highlight that the BJP has developed the Kashi Viswanath corridor and renamed Allahabad to Prayagraj.
Thackeray couldn't rename Osmanabad to Dharashiv: Fadnavis
Fadnavis further said that Thackeray could not rename Osmanabad to Dharashiv, or Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar despite being in power in Maharashtra. Notably, the Shiv Sena has repeatedly referred to Aurangabad—a city built by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb—as Sambhajinagar after second Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji.
'BJP had members in civic body before Sena was born'
Fadnavis said Thackeray's comment reflects Sena's frustration after finishing fourth in the recent civic body polls. "Sena has selective memory. The Shiv Sena was not even born when the BJP had its members in the Mumbai civic body." "In the 1984 election, their party candidate contested on a BJP ticket," Fadnavis said. Manohar Joshi—Sena's first CM—had contested the Lok Sabha elections representing the BJP.
Thackeray forgot Balasaheb-led BJP-Sena alliance: Fadnavis
Taking a dig at Thackeray's "25 years wasted with BJP" remark, Fadnavis said Thackeray has "forgotten history." "He forgot that till 2012, Balasaheb was the leader of this alliance. This raises questions over Balasaheb's decision to remain in the alliance." Referring to the civic polls, Fadnavis said the Sena has slipped from number one to number four since splitting from the BJP.
Gandhis didn't even tweet about Balasaheb: Fadnavis
Cornering Thackeray over his alliance with Congress, Fadnavis said, "We respect Balasaheb a lot...but Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi didn't even tweet about Balasaheb Thackeray on his birth anniversary." "Uddhav ji should refrain from speaking about Hindutva anymore," Fadnavis added. Referring to Balasaheb's bitterness toward the Congress, BJP leader Ram Kadam questioned whether Sena is still following Balasaheb's ideology.
