Shiv Sena, Congress hit back at Fadnavis over Hindutva attack
MUMBAI: A day after leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis launched a frontal attack on the Shiv Sena and accused it of diluting its commitment to Hindutva for the sake of power, the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has responded with a similar offensive.
In his rally on Sunday, Fadnavis had equated the triparty MVA government to the Babri mosque, claiming that he would not rest till he brought it down. He attacked chief minister Uddhav Thackeray over cases filed against independent lawmakers Navneet and Ravi Rana for threatening to chant the Hanuman Chalisa outside Uddhav’s residence and inaction over All India Majlis E Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi paying respects at the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Congress pointed to how functionaries from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) minority wing had paid obeisance at the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. “Aurangzeb’s tomb is under (the) jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Modi government can control, restrict or even ban entry. Why Modi govt does not (sic) register (a) complaint against Owaisi?” Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant tweeted.
He also tweeted photos of Khalid Qureshi, the vicepresident of the BJP’S minority wing, paying his respects at the tomb.
He said that when Fadnavis was the chief minister of Maharashtra, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, Akbaruddin’s elder brother, had visited the grave in 2019. Sawant asked why the MVA government was being charged with inaction by the BJP.
When contacted, Qureshi said that he had visited the tomb as a member of the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf. “I am a member of the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf... I visit dargahs and mosques in Maharashtra and this was one of them. This was my official visit as a member of the waqf board,” he said. Senior BJP leader Madhav Bhandari declined to comment.
In a jibe at Fadnavis, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that it was difficult to stop a vehicle on a downward slope and a failed opposition. In a tweet, Raut said, “It is difficult for a vehicle on a downward slope and a failed opposition leader to apply brakes. [An] accident is inevitable.”
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Monday said there are important issues before the state and country and all the political parties should concentrate on resolving them instead of criticizing each other.