Muristek
In Maharashtra, fight for Hindu votes continues ahead of elections to cash-rich BMC
Vibha Sharma
New Delhi, April 25
The fight for Hindu votes in Maharashtra continued ahead of the elections to the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation later this year.
While Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis slammed the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over the 'Hanuman Chalisa' row, accusing the Uddhav Thackeray-led government of wanting to "crush and kill" the opposition, an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' claimed that the BJP's "rotten brain" was behind independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana's call to recite 'Hanuman Chalisa' outside the residence of 'Matoshree'—the CM's private residence—which led to angry protests by sainiks outside their residence.
"Hindutva ideology is a culture and not chaos," the 'Samana' editorial stated.
Reacting to the Fadnavis' dare, Thackeray said their (sena's) 'Hindutva' is as strong as Hanuman's 'gada' and they also knew how to deal with 'dadagiri'.
"We don't want others to teach us what Hindutva is. Our Hindutva is as strong as Hanuman's gada. If you want to recite Hanuman Chalisa, call and come home. But if you resort to 'dadagiri' we know how to crush it," he was quoted as saying in Marathi.
Fadnavis had said if sedition charges are imposed against Navneet and Ravi Rana then the opposition will chant 'Hanuman Chalisa' together.
Daring the MVA government to book them under sedition charges, he also urged NCP workers to chant the holy verse with him.
"I request NCP workers to come and chant 'Hanuman Chalisa' with me in front of my residence.
"Maharashtra government wants to crush and kill the opposition. Will 'Hanuman Chalisa' be recited in Pakistan, if not in Maharashtra?
"If sedition charges get imposed on Navneet and Ravi Rana, we will all chant Hanuman Chalisa. If the government has the guts, try charging us with sedition," Fadnavis said
A BJP delegation also met Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and submitted a detailed report on alleged attack on Kirit Somaiya, who later also met Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai. Fadnavis too has written to Bhalla on the issue.
Navneet and Ravi Rana were booked under various sections for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups and slapped with a sedition charge.
Navneet Rana has also written to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, lashing out at the Maharashtra government. "It's my honest and bona fide belief that Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray completely strayed from its avowed Hindutva principles for obvious reasons since it wanted to betray public mandate and form a post-poll alliance with Congress and NCP," she said.
'Saamana', which alleged that the Rana couple wanted to vitiate the city's atmosphere, said they should conduct this programme in the office lobby of Birla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
"Hindutva is doing fine in Maharashtra because it is being led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. There is no restriction on reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa' in the state, but why an insistence to recite it outside Matoshree?
"The chaos resorted to by the BJP cannot be supported. Hindutva is a culture, not chaos," it said.
"Hanuman is the follower of 'satyavachni' Ram. Navneet Rana, whose base itself is built on falsehood, is doing politics over the recitation of 'Hanuman Chalisa' and the entire BJP plays to the gallery," as per the editorial.
The BMC is the richest corporation in the country with an annual budget more than that of many small states.