BJP invokes Bal Thackeray on Uddhav's 'Godhra 2' remark
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has sparked a controversy by suggesting a "Godhra-like" situation could occur after the Ram Temple's inauguration in Ayodhya in 2024. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have condemned Uddhav's remarks and accused him of straying from his party's ideology. Union minister Anurag Thakur said, "I don't know what [Balasaheb Thackeray] would have thought today and what Uddhav ji is doing today for the greed of power."
Why does this story matter?
The Ram Temple, a polarizing issue for decades, is likely to be inaugurated in January 2024 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In 2002, a fire in a train headed from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad reportedly led to the death of 59 Hindu pilgrims, triggering communal riots resulting in the death of over 2,000 people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then-chief minister of Gujarat, was accused of orchestrating the incident. However, the Supreme Court gave him a clean chit in 2022.
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Shiv Sena's departure from far-right
Notably, Uddhav's father, Thackeray, founded the Shiv Sena and was a staunch supporter of the Ram Temple movement. After years of alliance, the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP in 2019 to form the government in Maharashtra, which was subsequently toppled. The party split with Eknath Shinde joining hands with the BJP and becoming the chief minister last year. Currently, Uddhav is part of the Congress-led opposition alliance formed to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
INDIA battling 'anti-Hindu' label
Meanwhile, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said Thackeray blessed the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, but his son Uddhav's statement was disappointing. "I can only pray to Lord Ram to give him good sense and wisdom. What Uddhav said is shameful," he said. The development comes at a time when the opposition bloc, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), is trying to avoid the "anti-Hindu" tag after DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's remark calling for eradicating Sanatan Dharma.
