MUMBAI: A day after Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil said not a single Shiv Sena worker was involved in the Babri Masjid demolition, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde should either step down or seek Patil's resignation over his remarks.
When the mosque was being brought down, rats were hiding in their burrows, Thackeray said addressing a press conference here on Tuesday.
The former CM said his party's Hindutva is "nationalism" and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should explain what is its Hindutva.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also in a tweet asked whether Shinde accepts Patil's claim and if not, then the CM should resign. "Which minister will tender resignation over Patil's claims?" he sought to know.
"What will the 40 Shiv Sena MLAs (of CM Shinde-led party) claiming to be followers of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray do now?" he further asked.
Late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, post the demolition of the Babri structure on December 6, 1992, had said: “Babri padli, ti padnarya Shiv Sainikancha mala abhiman ahe” (I am proud of the Shiv Sainiks who razed Babri).
His son and former CM Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said, "When Babri was being demolished, all rats were hiding in their burrows."
He said either CM Shinde should resign over Patil's remarks or seek the latter's resignation.
Raut in a tweet said, "What will the 40 MLAs claiming to be the followers of Balasaheb Thackeray do now? Yesterday, they went to Ayodhya with the opponents of Balasaheb. Who will raise their voice against those who insulted Saheb (Bal Thackeray)."
Senior BJP leader Patil, who is the minister of higher and technical education in the Eknath Shinde government, on Monday said not a single worker of the Shiv Sena was near the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya when it was brought down by the Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini on December 6, 1992.
"I was placed there by the Bajrang Dal for three-four months to facilitate kar sevaks arriving in Ayodhya. People participating were either from Bajrang Dal, VHP or Durga Vahini. Former Bihar state deputy CM (and senior BJP leader) Sushil Kumar Modi, legislator Harendra Kumar and I were given the task to manage the kar sevaks and ensure their safe passage," Patil claimed.
"We three were working there as national general secretaries. The RSS' strength was behind us but it did not participate openly. It had distributed its work to like-minded organisations," Patil claimed.
Patil on Monday said Sanjay Raut keeps talking about the Babri Masjid demolition and wondered if the latter was even there at the temple town in Uttar Pradesh at the time. He also took a swipe at Uddhav Thackeray for accusing CM Shinde of stealing the legacy of Bal Thackeray.
The late Shiv Sena founder was not the property of anyone and was someone who was hugely respected by the people, Patil said. "Balasaheb is the property of all Hindus and everyone is free to use his name (legacy)," the BJP leader had said.
The Shiv Sena split after a rebellion in June last year by Shinde, who got the party name and 'bow and arrow' symbol, while Uddhav Thackeray's faction was christened Shiv Sena (UBT) with a flaming torch as its symbol.
(With online desk inputs)