Slamming lyricist Javed Akhtar for his alleged comparison of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) with the Taliban, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said 'the comparison of any of India's organisations to the Taliban is condemnable'.
Raut said, "Today we have written it in Saamana. The comparison of any India's organisations to the Taliban is condemnable. India is a democratic country. The depraved mentality of the Taliban will never be acceptable here. People here struggle and fight back. Opposition parties in our country have seen emergency also." Shiv Sena, in its editorial mouthpiece 'Saamana', slammed Akhtar and said that "linking Hindutva with the Taliban is disrespectful to Hindu culture." In the editorial, Shiv Sena further said the people who think that the ideology of RSS and VHP are similar to the Taliban must introspect.
"Most of the population of the country is secular and respects each other religious views. We cannot accept the 'Talibani ideology'. In spite of the fact that India being home to a majority of the Hindu population, it is a proud, secular country," Shiv Sena said.
On Sunday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest against Akhtar outside his residence in Mumbai.
