Enraged by the action taken by the BJP government in the Trimbakeshwar temple incident, Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray Wednesday hit out at the BJP govt accusing it of practising a version of Hindutva that the party has referred to as ‘Gaumutradhari Hindutva.’
In an editorial piece in Saamana, the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece, the party not only spewed venom against the BJP government in the state but also went on to defend the actions of the Muslim youths who had forcibly entered the Trimbakeshwar Temple and attempted to desecrate the Shivling situated in the temple’s sanctum santorum on May 13, 2023.
“The threat to Hinduism comes not from Muslim youths offering ‘dhup’ (burning of incense), but from these ‘gaumutradharis’. The Bharatiya Janata Party considers itself to be the world’s sole representative of Hindutva. However, after watching the raucous racket made in the name of Hindutva by self-proclaimed contractors recruiting sub-contractors under them, two Hindu-heart emperors, Veer Tatyarao Savarkar and Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, must be despising the BJP,” read the editorial in Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackery)’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana.’
In its mouthpiece Saamana, Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged that the Trimbakeshwar temple incident was “a well thought out political move” of the BJP in the state. It alleged a conspiracy to form gangs in the name of Hindutva to fan communal sentiments in the state. It said that the Hindutva practised by BJP is ‘Gaumutradhari Hindutva’.
“BJP’s Hindutva is nothing more than cow urine. Their Hindutva is devoid of logic as was seen in the way it handled the recent Trimbakeshwar incident. This Hindutva gang attempted to propagate their hatred throughout Maharashtra by sparking riots in the name of Hindutva, but this conspiracy was foiled by the calm and reasonable residents of Nashik-Trimbak. During the Sandal procession on Saturday, the Muslim youths stood near the northern entrance of the Trimbakeshwar temple and offered incense. Although this is an old tradition of offering ‘dhup’ (burning of incense) to our deities, the subcontractors of BJP used the situation to fan communal sentiments in the state in the name of Hindutva.”
Further defending the Muslim youths who forcibly entered the temple premises by joining the Sandal procession and attempted to offer chadar on the Shivling, the Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed in the Marathi publication that the BJP government in the state should launch an investigation against those Hindus who performed purification rituals at the Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik after the incident and not the Muslim youths.
Muslim mob tries to barge into Trimbakeshwar temple in Nasik to offer ‘chadar’ on revered Shivling
Tensions gripped the city of Nashik earlier this month after a group of individuals reportedly congregated outside the Trimbakeshwar Temple and made an apparent attempt to forcefully gain entry into the premises. The four persons who were arrested by the police for forcibly entering the Trimbakeshwar temple are Aqeel Yusuf Sayyed, Salman Aqeel Sayyed, Matin Raju Sayyed and Salim Bakshu Sayyed.
An alleged video of the incident had gone viral on social media.
Videos | Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the setting up of a Special Investigative team (SIT) into the incident of Muslim youths trying to enter the sanctum sanctoram of holy Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik. On 13th night at around 9.15 pm 5-6 youths of Muslim… pic.twitter.com/MMsuk4mGOa
— MUMBAI NEWS (@Mumbaikhabar9) May 16, 2023
OpIndia had spoken to one of the security officials deployed inside the Trimbakeshwar temple, who confirmed the attack and said that a few members of a Muslim congregation created a ruckus on May 13 as they barged into the temple precincts, prompting action from the law enforcement officials stationed at the temple.
The hallowed Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik which has one of the 12 jyotirlingas allows Hindus to enter the ancient temple of Lord Shiva, as per a board put up outside the temple.
The incident triggered a series of riots that engulfed the city. Keeping in view the gravity of the situation, Devendra Fadnavis ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to thoroughly investigate the events and their aftermath. The Maharashtra Deputy CM also ordered an FIR against the accused.
On Wednesday, 17th May 2023, Hindu organisations cleaned the temple, carried out purification rituals, and performed aarti.
Shiv Sena (UBT) and Gaumutra jibes
Notably, this is not the first time the Shiv Sena (UBT) has used the Hinduphobic Gaumutra jibe to attack the BJP party. In fact, ex-CM Thackeray has used Gaumutra jibes on several occasions to attack RSS-BJP.
On April 16 former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray launched yet another attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) using Hinduphobic Gaumutra jibes. Notably, his attack came after BJP criticised his faction for joining hands with the Congress Party. In his statement, Thackeray said RSS-BJP’s Hindutva is “Gaumutradhari Hindutva”.
Similarly, in March 2023, he said, “Did our country get freedom by sprinkling cow urine? Did it happen that cow urine was sprinkled, and we got freedom? It was not so. The freedom fighters had made sacrifices, and then we got freedom.” Irked by Election Commission’s decision to hand over the Shiv Sena party symbol to Eknath Shinde’s faction, he said the EC is a “Chuna Lagao Commission”. He also called EC the “slave of the people in power”.
The cow urine jibe
Cow urine jibe is one of the most popular ways among terrorists, Leftist liberals, to abuse Hindus and Indians. Sadly, this was not the first time Uddhav used the cow urine jibe. In October 2020, he attacked BJP with crass, Hinduphobic references to Gaumutra (cow urine) and gobar (cow dung). The Shiv Sena supremo made derogatory remarks while addressing the annual Shiv Sena Dusshera Mela.
Not to forget, in 2019, a Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist in a suicide attack, killed as many as 40 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama, Kashmir. Following the attack, a video was released in which the terrorist could be heard saying he wanted 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 referred to Indians as “Gae ka Peshab Peene Wale” (People who drink cow urine).
TMC leader Mahua Moitra is among the politicians who often use the cow urine jibe to attack BJP supporters. DMK leader Dr DNV Senthilkumar S also mocked the BJP-ruled States in the North by making the ‘gau mutra’ jibe on the floor of the parliament.
