On Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray hit a new low after he attacked the former ally BJP with crass, Hinduphobic references to Gaumutra (cow urine) and gobar (cow dung). The Shiv Sena leader made the derogatory remarks while addressing the annual Shiv Sena Dusshera Mela.
The video of his speech has now gone viral on social media. “Those who cast aspersions on our government, themselves have their mouths filled with cow-dung and Gaumutra. They have been trying to sling cow-dung at us, in a desperate hope that it will stick but it did not because we are clean. It is them whose mouth and clothes reek of Gaumutra and cow-dung,” Uddhav Thackeray was heard as saying.
So called Ram Bhakt Uddhav Thackeray taking Gaumutra Jibes at BJP
— BALA (@erbmjha) October 25, 2020
Now wear scull cap, remove your tika & change your saffron flag to Green @OfficeofUT 👌
pic.twitter.com/4o7qIF0nzd
Gaumutra jibe: Language of a terrorist
It is pertinent to remember that Gaumutra has been a part of ancient Ayurvedic treatment in India and is considered sacred in Hinduism. As such, the ‘Gaumutra jibe’ is often used by left-liberals and radical Islamists to demean Hindus, who disagree with their narrative.
Last year, in the aftermath of the dastardly attack on the CRPF convoy on February 14, 2019, a video was released by the Jaish-e-Muhammad group in which the terrorist who carried out the egregious attack against the security personnel, killing 40 of them, had stated that he wants to punish and kill the ‘cow urine drinkers’ in the name of Allah. The terrorist identified as Adil Ahmed Dar alias Waqas was seen admitting that he had joined the Jaish-e-Mohammad a year ago. In the video, he had referred to Indians as “Gae ka Peshab Peene Wale” (People who drink cow urine).
Changing colours of Shiv Sena
It is ironical to see the Shiv Sena leader making Hinduphobic, hateful comments using Gaumutra jibes. Because the Sena, founded by Uddhav’s father Bala Saheb Thackeray, had gained all its political relevance and power by playing the role of a Hindutvavadi party. However, soon after the last assembly elections, the ‘saffron party’ deserted the BJP for Uddhav’s ambition to become CM. Ever since Shiv Sena joined hands with the ‘secular’ Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, it has shed its saffron identity and has been pretending to be more ‘secular’ than the Congress and NCP.
In December 2019 Shiv Sena supported Citizenship Amendment Law in Lok Sabha but opposed it in Rajya Sabha. The MVA government had also scrapped the 10% quota meant for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), that the Modi government at the Centre had brought last year to help poor sections who do not have any other reservations in education and government jobs.
