Ahmednagar: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday took a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray over the remarks of state minister and BJP leader Chandrakant Patil who claimed that not a single Shiv Sena worker was present near the Babri masjid when it was brought down in 1992.
Without taking names, Shinde slammed Uddhav and the faction led by him for remaining “silent” when V D Savarkar was insulted. He accused Uddhav of joining hands with those who had opposed the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Talking to reporters, the chief minister said Patil meant to know the whereabouts of the former chief minister (read Uddhav Thackeray) when the demolition of the structure was carried out.
“I spoke to Chandrakant Patil. He meant to ask where were the former CM (Uddhav Thackeray) and the one who is speaking now (a reference to Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut who belongs to Shiv Sena-UBT faction) when the masjid was being razed,” Shinde said.
He said it was the late Sena founder Bal Thackeray who had given a call of “Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain” (Say with pride that we are Hindus).
“In the Babri case, Balasaheb had gone to the Lucknow court. At that time Lal Krishna Advani, Ashok Singhal, and Uma Bharti were also there. There was no party there (at the site in Ayodhya where the structure once stood), all were devotees of Lord Ram,” Shinde added.
Earlier in the day, Uddhav Thackeray said Shinde should either step down as chief minister or seek Patil’s resignation over his Babri demolition remarks.
The former CM also said his party’s Hindutva is “nationalism” and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should explain what is its Hindutva.
Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party, and Congress are constituents of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Shinde said when communal riots broke out in Mumbai (after the Babri masjid was demolished), it was Bal Thackeray who protected the city.
“What would have happened had Balasaheb not been there? Balasaheb took a strong stand whenever the country or state faced any crisis,” he said.
Taking a dig at Uddhav, Shinde said, Balasaheb took a bold stand on several issues, including on Savarkar, Hindutva and national interest whenever needed.
“Those who are talking now have no moral right to speak. They remained silent when Savarkar was insulted. They stand with those who insulted Savarkar. They are embracing those who opposed Ram Mandir,” he said.
Shinde reiterated that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who fulfilled the dream of Bal Thackeray who wanted a Ram mandir in Ayodhya and the removal of Article 370.
He inspected the damage caused to crops due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms in a village and assured help to affected farmers.
“I instructed the state chief secretary and concerned district collectors to conduct the panchnamas of the crop losses immediately when I was in Ayodhya,” he said.
The panchnamas or damage assessments of crop loss would be conducted on a war footing and farmers will get help from the government, Shinde said.
He said the state government has already decided to extend help beyond the existing norms of NDRF.
Asked about the Opposition’s criticism of ignoring the plight of rain-hit farmers and visiting Ayodhya, the chief minister said farmers’ issues should not be politicised.
“It is my government which has fulfilled the promises made by the erstwhile MVA dispensation. They only made announcements, but did they give funds to farmers? But we gave funds,” he said.
Shinde said his government has come up with ‘Namo Sanman Shetkari Yojana’ along the lines of the Central scheme wherein a provision is made to give Rs 6,000 to farmers.
“When I went to Ayodhya, I prayed to Lord Ram that farmers remain safe from disasters. I prayed that farmers be protected from unseasonal rains and hailstorms,” he said, adding that he was filled with a new inspiration after coming from Ayodhya.
