Uddhav challenges BJP’s Hindutva claims

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday attacked the BJP-ruled Maharashtra government, saying it wanted to take advantage of the controversy over Aurangzeb’s tomb to divert people’s attention from its development achievements. He questioned the decision of the Centre and the state government to remain inactive and said that when they have the power, they are unable to remove the tomb. Thackeray directly attacked the BJP’s Hindutva stance and said that the government says that it cannot remove Aurangzeb’s tomb because it is protected by the Centre. Then why don’t you tell Prime Minister Modi to remove the tomb of Gujarat-born Aurangzeb? He also challenged the BJP’s claim that Hindus are unsafe in Nagpur, the stronghold of the RSS. Nagpur is the headquarters of the RSS, which claims to be the protector of Hindus. How can Hindus be in danger there? If this was a pre-planned incident, what was your Home Ministry doing? Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane has blamed Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi for the recent violence in Nagpur. He claimed that the incident was pre-planned to defame the state government. Speaking to the media, Rane said Abu Azmi is responsible for this. He started the issue and it was a pre-planned act of violence aimed at tarnishing the government’s image. He condemned the violence and stressed that strict action will be taken against anyone who attacks police officers. Rane urged protesters to use democratic methods to express their grievances instead of resorting to violence.