Making a pitch for the construction of Ram temple, the Shiv Sena chief also reminds Modi government of its Hindutva legacy.
Ayodhya: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government Saturday by comparing him to ‘Kumbhakarna’, the brother of demon-king Ravana in Ramayana, at a gathering in Ayodhya.
Thackeray also made a strong pitch for the construction of Ram Mandir in the Hindutva stronghold.
“I have not come here to do politics. I have come here with a legacy, an ideology,” said Thackeray.
“My father used to say that Hindutva is in our breath. If we forget Hindutva, that is if our breath is stopped, what will happen to us?” said Thackeray.
The Shiv Sena chief made the comments while addressing a gathering at Lakshman Tila, located less than 5 km away from the disputed site in Ayodhya where Babri Masjid was demolished on 6 December, 1992, by Hindu radical activists, sparking communal violence across the country.
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‘Mandir wahin banayenge’
Targeting the Modi government, Thackeray said, “Today, I have just come to wake up the sleeping Kumbhakarna.”
“Kumbhakarna was not just in Ramayana, even today he exists. He used to sleep for six months and today’s many Kumbhakarna have been sleeping for the last four years. Today, I have come to wake them up,” he said.
“Many days, months and years have passed. Mandir wahin banayenge, mandir banayenge lekin taarekh nahin batayenge (They say they will make a temple but they won’t tell us the date),” he said.
He added, “Today, we want the date of temple construction. First tell us when you will construct the temple, the rest of the things will be said later.”
On Saturday, saffron Shiv Sena flags and hoardings carrying Thackeray’s image which proclaimed “Pehle mandir, fir sarkar (Temple first, government later)” flanked the leader’s entry to Ayodhya.
The city of Ayodhya is set to witness another public gathering Sunday when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is expected to address around two lakh “Ram Bhakts”.
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Whoever thought of Shiv Sena’s march to Ayodhya has executed a masterstroke for the benefit of this party. Planning and execution too, complete with Ganga Aarti by Udhav Thakrey and prominent TV coverage of it even on the choosy NDTV, all hint at the engagement of a good PR firm. Almost overnight, and not at a very big budget I would guess, it has brought Shiv Sena in the notice all over the country. And come to think of it, it is the ONLY POLITICAL party other than the veteran BJP which is in the thick of all this Hindutva activity! All others, VHP, Bajrang Dal etc, even the RSS are only “organizations” with no way to prove their mass base. So, if the idea was to project Shiv Sena as a political alternative to BJP at the NATIONAL level, then this effort has been eminently successful.
The Shiv Sena will per force have to contest the Assembly / Parliament election – which could be held simultaneously- in partnership with the BJP, failing which both parties will sink in the state. Despite this compelling logic, the party continues to publicly assail its senior coalition partner on an almost daily basis. The SS keeps pushing the envelope, the BJP quietly absorbs the blows. Should it respond, an accident will take place. Better for both sides to sit together and resolve differences gracefully.