MUMBAI: Shiv Sena’s confusion over Hindutva ideology after allying with the NCP and the Congress to form government in Maharashtra was exposed on Sunday.
While party chief and CM Uddhav Thackeray stated in the Assembly that the party won’t “abandon Hindutva”, party spokesperson Sanjay Raut was busy explaining the “secular” Hindutva of the Congress in a TV debate.
As he proposed a motion to congratulate Devendra Fadnavis on his appointment as leader of opposition in the state Assembly, Thackeray said that he had learned several things from the former CM and that he still considers him a friend.
In the same flow, he also said that he won’t abandon Hindutva.
“I am still with the ideology of ‘Hindutva’ and won’t ever leave it. In the past five years, I have never betrayed the (former NDA) government,” Thackeray said.
"To keep a promise is also part of my Hindutva. I have been following my Hindutva yesterday, today and will continue to do so in future as well," Thackeray said.
His barb came against the backdrop of the then CM Fadnavis rejecting Thackeray's claim after the October 24 poll results that the BJP had promised the Sena a rotational chief ministership in new NDA government that was not formed then.
However, while the Shiv Sena chief asserted association with the Hindutva ideology, during the past two days, other leaders from his party appeared to be cautiously avoiding a vibrant expression of Hindutva as had been a norm with the party in the past.
On Saturday, Thackeray came to legislature complex and garlanded Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue.
However, cutting the norm, there was not much of sloganeering.
Later too the party MLAs sported saffron turbans in the house.
However, when BJP members started shouting slogans of “Hara Hara Mahadeo” and “Jai Bhavani Jai Shivaji” expecting a similar response from the treasury benches, they couldn’t evoke much response though these slogans are more popular among Sena cadres.
On Sunday, party spokesperson Sanjay Raut went a step ahead.
He was seen on a TV show explaining the “Secular” Hindutva of Congress.
“Rahul Gandhi visited temples ahead of election. He named his ‘Gotra’ (clan), wore ‘janeu’ (sacred thread). His grad mother, Indiraji, too followed Hindu rituals and great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru too followed Hindu norms in public life,” Raut said while stressing his point that the Congress doesn’t have any problem with the soft Hindutva.