Save ‘gau mata’ but what about ‘mata’, Sena to BJP

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, while launching a frontal attack on its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, over lynching of women and Dalits, reminded the latter that its Hindutva is different from that of the BJP.

Taking a dig at the BJP over lynching, Thackeray said, "Cows are safer than women in the country. Our women are unsafe, and you are protecting the cows. You can't target people for their eating preferences.”

"In the name of saving the cow, if you are shifting focus to whether someone is eating beef or not, then it is a sham. This is not Hindutva. That is the not our idea of Hindutva. I don't accept the Hindutva that is being peddled in the country, for the last three-four years," said Thackeray.

"We (Shiv Sena) never said cows should be slaughtered. But while protecting cows, India has become the most unsafe country for women. One should be ashamed of it...You want to save

'gau-mata' (cow) but what about 'mata' (mother)," he said.

Targeting the BJP over the debate on nationalism, Thackeray said the BJP had no right to decide who was a nationalist and anti-national. "Anyone criticising the government does not become anti-national. Members of Parliament (MPs) are representatives of people and have the right to raise questions," he said.

The Sena and the BJP came together in 1985 on the common agenda of Hindutva. However, the plank has weakened over the years, especially with the BJP changing the political gears. It is the weakening of this adhesive that is responsible for both parties drifting apart.

Ironically, the Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray, too, has turned a complete circle and is now taking a soft Hindutva line. Whether this is intended to endear it to the non-BJP front remains to be seen.