In Aurangabad, Uddhav Thackeray welcomes RSS chief's ‘shivling’ statement, slams BJP for Prophet row

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday welcomed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent statement on ‘shivling’ and hit out at the BJP for the "humiliation" faced by India due to the party's suspended spokespersons' controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammed that drew condemnations from several Islamic countries.     

Sounding the poll bugle for the Aurangabad municipal elections during his rally in the city, the Shiv Sena chief alleged that while the Maha Vikas Aghadi completed 2.5 years in the government “against the dreams of some people”, the BJP in Maharashtra was making issues about loudspeakers and other things.

“We welcome RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent statement on shivling… Due to a statement of a spokesperson of the BJP, the nation had to bear the humiliation. Here, in the state, the BJP is making issues about loudspeakers and other things,” Thackeray said at the rally.

In first remarks on the controversy over the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat had last week questioned the need to “look for a shivling in every mosque” and said the Sangh was not in favour of launching any other movement (andolan) on these issues.

Addressing the concluding session of the RSS officer training camp in Nagpur, Bhagwat said the Gyanvapi dispute involves some issues of faith and the court’s decision on it should be accepted by all.

On Sunday, the BJP had suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi unit media head Naveen Kumar Jindal amid a row over their controversial remarks with some Muslim countries lodging their protest.

“We completed 2.5 years of the government against the dreams of some people (BJP). They create an atmosphere to demonstrate that things are not right here. Rather than making the ED and CBI run after us, focus on the situation of Kashmiri Pandits in J&K,” Thackeray added.

This is Thackeray’s second political rally in under and month where he spoke on the party’s Hindutva ideology, issues related to Aurangabad and Marathwada region.

Thackeray held the rally against the backdrop of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s aggressive pitch aimed at wresting control of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation from the Sena. The saffron party had earlier targeted Sena over the water crisis in the region.

The rally also came at a time when the issue of renaming Aurangabad has become a political talking point and amid the row over the visit of All India Majlis E Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi to the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on the outskirts of the city.