MUMBAI: The Maharashtra BJP has stirred a controversy by sharing a post on its official twitter handle of the smiling face of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis saying, “India was a Hindu Rashtra, it is a Hindu Rashtra and will remain as such.”
The Opposition slammed it saying it is a violation of the oath taken by the deputy chief minister.
The Maharashtra BJP’s Twitter handle on Thursday shared the post saying "No matter how much someone wears the veil of secularism, we do not care and are concerned whether they accept it or not. It is fact – India is Hindu Rashtra." The post further added, “India was Hindu Rashtra, it is a Hindu Rashtra and India will remain as such.”
Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant sharply reacting to the post of deputy chief minister said that this post is against the tenet of the Constitution.
“This is a breach of oath by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadanvis who is holding the constitutional position. So, he has to respect all religions and communities and cannot propagate any specific community and religion,” Sawant said.
Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil said that the countries that give extreme importance to religion cannot progress.
Reacting to Sawant, BJP leader Sweta Shalini said on her social media platform that Hinduism is a way of life and the Supreme Court has defined it as well. “Congress carried out the 87th amendment in the Indian Constitution and during the Emergency inserted words like socialist and secularism into the Constitution.