In a “My Hindutva vs Your Hindutva” slugfest, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enact the Uniform Civil Code and the population control law.
The MNS leader demanded such laws to be enacted while he was addressing a rally in Pune amid a heavy police presence. “As I have already urged the Prime Minister earlier, he should enact the Uniform Civil Code and also bring in a population control law. Besides, the name of Aurangabad should be changed to Sambhajinagar at the earliest,” said Thackeray from the podium.
Referring to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi’s visit to the tomb of the Aurangzeb at Khuldabad near Aurangabad three days ago, Thackeray alleged that the Shiv Sena-NCP ruling combine leaders were trying to create a wedge between Hindus and Muslims by allowing AIMIM to grow in Maharashtra.
sands of Hindu temples and building mosques over their rubble during his rule 300 years ago. One such mosque at the centre of a raging controversy, akin to the Babri Masjid dispute, is the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi which is alleged to have been built over a Hindu temple by the Mughal Emperor.
Without mincing words, the MNS leader said, “They have nurtured AIMIM and helped it grow so that the outfit continues to raise the issue of Aurangabad. This party has grown so big that they have their own MP from Aurangabad. These people have helped it grow big so much so that the Shiv Sena MP was defeated in the elections.” Such issues are kept alive so that they are made good use of during elections, he added.
Owaisi, an MLA from Telangana, was accompanied to the tomb by AIMIM Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel and former Maharashtra MLA Waris Pathan.
Thackeray further said, “If Aurangabad’s name is changed to Sambhajinagar, the issue will die forever.” Attacking NCP chief Sharad Pawar, he said: “For Sharad Pawar, Aurangzeb is like a Sufi saint. What can you say now? Yesterday, a Shiv Sena leader said that had Balasaheb Thackeray seen Maha Vikas Agadi government, he would certainly be a happy man. Sharad Pawar said, ‘We used to fight daily but would have dinner together in the evening’. They are destroying the credibility of Balasaheb Thackeray, but Shiv Sena is unable to understand the politics behind it.”
He alleged that they have built a mosque dedicated to Afzal Khan and funding those forces who killed Shivaji.
Taking credit for being first leader to give a call to ban loudspeaker across Maharashtra, the MNS leader said that it was he who gave a call from Pune to ban loudspeakers in all mosques for azan and if the government did not acquiesce to the demand MNS workers would read Hanuman Chalisa over loudspeakers in front of all mosques. He termed reading of Hanuman Chalisa by the Navneet Rana couple near Matoshree, the residence of Balasaheb Thackeray and his immediate family including Chief Minister Uddhav Thackray, as pure drama. Matoshree is not a mosque, he said.
Thackeray gave an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government on April 12 to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, upon which a case was filed against him.
Referring to his call to ban loudspeakers, Thackeray said that he had also said that he would visit Ayodhya. But his proposed visit to Ayodhya drew sharp criticism from some quarters and leaders like Ramdas Athawale asked him to tender an apology for what he did to the people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during railway recruitment exams.
“They are asking me to tender apology for what happened 14 years ago. What about Alpesh Thakur who forced 15,000 people from Bihar to flea Gujarat. He got them beaten up there. Who would ask him to seek forgiveness?” the MNS leader asked. “I was listening to all what was being said about my visit. It was clear to me that it was all conspiracy and I should not fall into this trap,” he said. So, he decided not to visit Ayodhya.
In an oblique reference to Hindutva made by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the MNS leader likened it to shirts and said, “They all are liars. They would talk about Hindutva for the heck of it. They have nothing more to say … Chief Minister addressed a rally where he referred to our ‘Hindutva versus your Hindutva’. Is it a washing machine ad, where you say my shirt is brighter than yours?”