'Wonder What Bal Thackeray Would Say...' Fadnavis Slams Uddhav, Calls Hanuman Chalisa Row 'Shameful'

Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday wondered what Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray would have said about the prevailing situation in Maharashtra, “where reciting Hanuman Chalisa is sedition”. He was addressing the Hindi Bhashi Mahasankalp Sabha a day after CM Uddhav Thackeray addressed a massive rally in Mumbai. “This is shameful,” Fadnavis said, beginning the event after chanting the Hanuman Chalisa. The leader of opposition in the assembly also likened the Maha Vikas Aghadi government with the Babri mosque structure and said he will not rest till it was “brought down”.

“I will not rest till I bring down the Babri structure of your power,” Fadnavis said. He taunted Thackeray asking if he had contributed to any movement or agitation and slammed him by saying even during the Covid-19 pandemic, Thackeray was live on Facebook while he was “alive and on the field”.

In his rally on Saturday, Thackeray slammed Fadnavis and the BJP. He had targeted Fadnavis for saying he was in Ayodhya during the demolition of the Babri mosque. “If you had tried to climb the Babri mosque, it would have collapsed under your weight,” the CM said.

Referring to the CM’s comment, Fadnavis said he weighed 102 kg now while back in 1992 his weight was 128 kg and reiterated that he was part of the ‘kar seva’ in Ayodhya when the historic mosque was brought down.

‘Only one tiger now – Narendra Modi’

Hitting out at the Shiv Sena, he said the dispensation did not mean Mumbai, Maharashtra or Hindutva. The former CM said nobody could separate Mumbai from the state.

The Shiv Sena has ruled civic bodies in the state, including Mumbai, for over 25 years. Elections to these municipal bodies are due this year.

Fadnavis called Thackeray’s rally a “laughter show” and took a dig at the CM’s hobby of photography. “This man has never spoken about the state’s development, progress and welfare of the people in the last two-and-a-half years (of his rule). One doesn’t become a tiger just by clicking photographs of tigers. There is only one tiger now – Narendra Modi.”

Fadnavis also highlighted that Thackeray had not address the number of Covid-19 deaths in the state during his rally. He talked about issues such as the lynching of sadhus in Palghar, the murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran, allegations against former home minister Anil Deshmukh, NCP minister Nawab Malik’s arrest and misappropriation of funds by a Sena leader in the Mumbai civic body.

“Shiv Sena sought votes in our name, but formed the government by joining hands with the Congress to get the chief minister’s post (after the 2019 Assembly polls). In 1975 also, the Sena had supported the Emergency imposed by the then Congress government,” he added.

He also attacked the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, saying, “Asaduddin Owaisi goes and pays tribute to Aurangzeb on his grave and you keep seeing that, you should feel ashamed of it. Listen to me Owaisi, even a dog will not pee on the identity of Aurangzeb. Saffron will rule in Hindustan.” With his reverent visit to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district, AIMIM leader and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi had sparked a hornet’s nest, inviting a range of political opinion.

(With PTI inputs)

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