Describing Union Home Minister Amit Shah as the political heir of Ahmad Shah Abdali, who set up the Durrani empire in Afghanistan in 1747, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said those who went all the way to Pakistan to eat the birthday cake of the nation’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif should not teach Hindutva to his party.
“A few days ago, the political heir of Ahmad Shah Abdali had come to Pune. Who is he? He was Amit Shah… He said Sena has given up Hindutva. Why should we give up Hindutva? Those who went all the way to Pakistan to eat the birthday cake of its Prime Minister, should not teach us what Hindutva is,” Thackeray said Saturday at the “Shiv Sankalp” rally in Pune city.
“If Shah is going to associate me with Aurangzeb fan club and Aurangzeb, then I will also not stop from calling him Ahmad Shah Abdali,” he said. Several top Sena leaders including Sanjay Raut, Aditya Thackeray, Vinayak Raut, Ambadas Danve, Bhaskarrao Jadhav, Sachin Ahir and Sushma Andhare were present.
Thackeray went on to accuse the BJP of indulging in ‘political jihad’ by breaking political parties to form government in various states. “If Muslims are with us after we explained to them our Hindutva, then we are (according to the BJP) the Aurangzeb Fan Club. Then what you are doing is power jihad,” he said.
He was referring to Amit Shah while, addressing a BJP rally in the city last week, had termed the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra the ‘Aurangzeb fan club’ and Thackeray as the club leader. “Maha Vikas Aghadi is Aurangzeb fan club. This Aurangzeb fan club cannot ensure India’s security. Uddhav Thackeray is the leader of the Aurangzeb Fan club. This Fan Club cannot make Maharashtra and India safe,” Shah had said.
Quoting a letter written by former RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras to former prime minister Indira Gandhi, Thackeray said he (Deoras) said the Sangh had no hatred towards Muslims or non Hindus and that it holds secularism, the speciality of Hindus, in high esteem. “Is this Hindutva of the Sangh not acceptable to Amit Shah? Did the Sangh support Emergency or not?” He asked.
Thackeray said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was demanding accountability from the Congress for its 70 year rule. “One year after its construction, Parliament is leaking. Modi should first explain this misrule of his government,” he said.
