On January 25, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) attacked Shiv Sena as its Maha Vikas Agadhi (MVA) ally Congress has announced to inaugurate “Tipu Sultan Maidan” in Mumbai on the Republic Day. BJP leader and party National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared a photograph of hoarding of the “Tipu Sultan Maidan” that will be inaugurated in Mumbai on January 26.
Tipu Sultan Maidan to be inaugurated on 26th Jan in Mumbai by Congress Minister Aslam Shaikh
— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) January 25, 2022
Shiv Sena gives lecture on Hindutva
Does Sena oppose or support it? If you oppose it,then why not stop it?
Or was it another compromise for power? Just like you abandoned Savarkar ji https://t.co/A4FeBDV0G7
Shehzad said Shiv Sena gives a lecture on Hindutva, but its ally’s leader would be inaugurating Tipu Sultan Maidan. He questioned if Shiv Sena supported or opposed Congress over the matter. In the tweet, he said, “Tipu Sultan Maidan to be inaugurated on January 26 in Mumbai by Congress Minister Aslam Shaikh. Shiv Sena gives a lecture on Hindutva. Does Sena oppose or support it? If you oppose it, then why not stop it? Or was it another compromise for power? Just like you abandoned Savarkar Ji.”
Tipu Sultan is a controversial historical figure, who was known for being one of the most ruthless Islamic invaders in South India. There have been several recorded instances of Tipu’s army forcefully converting, raping and kidnapping Hindus on his orders. Many temples are recorded to have been demolished under his reign. Historians such as Khan Hussain Ali Kirmani have pointed out that Tipu Sultan had animosity for the local Hindus and tribals in the area.
Uddhav Thackeray says Shiv Sena wasted 25 years in an alliance with BJP
Earlier, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had alleged Shiv Sena wasted 25 years in an alliance with BJP. Thackeray was speaking on the birth anniversary of his father, Balasahed Thackeray. He said, “We have left BJP, not Hindutva. BJP is not Hindutva. They (BJP) have started to use Hindutva for their own interests. The meaning of Hindutva will always remain the same. The Hindutva that changes meaning as per convenience is not our Hindutva. They ally with Hindutvawadis for the sake of power.”
He further added, “They ally with Mehbooba Mufti for the sake of power. They ally with Nitish Kumar, who called for RSS-free India for the sake of power. They ally with Chandrababu Naidu, who once said ‘Modi hatao’ for the sake of power. Where is the Uniform Civil Code? In the garb of Hindutva, cow slaughter is prohibited in some states. But they don’t ban cow slaughter elsewhere for the sake of votes.”
Shiv Sena’s Raut claims BJP was less popular
In a statement on Monday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut lashed out at BJP, accusing the party of using ‘Hindutva’ to gain power. While talking to the media, he said, “We took BJP from bottom to top in Maharashtra. After Babri, there was a Shiv Sena wave in Northern India, if we had fought polls at that time, there would have been our (Shiv Sena) PM in the country, but we left it for them.”
However, his claims did not match up with reality. The strong undercurrents of Hindutva sentiments owing to the Babri demolition helped the BJP with a 33.3% vote share. Contrary to Raut’s claims, Shiv Sena as a regional party did participate in the Uttar Pradesh state elections but could bag only 1,38,919 total votes in the state. While Sena received a total vote share of only 0.28%, its candidates lost deposits from 179 out of 180 seats contested. Netizens were quick to point out the facts after Sanjay Raut’s statements emerged on Twitter.
