Amid an ongoing war of words between Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that the Sena was the first party in the country to contest an election on the Hindutva plank.
“Shiv Sena was the first party in the country to contest elections on the issue of Hindutva...BJP new leaders (Nav Hindutvavadi), are not aware of history, someone has torn the pages of their history. But from time to time, we will give them information,” Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying by ANI.
Talking to reporters, Raut referred to a bypoll held for the Vile Parle Assembly seat in Mumbai, saying Shiv Sena candidate Ramesh Prabhu had contested on the agenda of Hindutva.
It was for the first time that Hindutva was mentioned in electoral politics in the country, Raut said, adding that Congress and BJP were also in the fray in that byelection.
Prabhu had won the Vile Parle Assembly segment in the byelection held in 1987-88 and retained the seat in the 1990 polls.
"It is after this victory that the BJP approached Shiv Sena for an alliance on Hindutva which Balasaheb (Thackeray) agreed to as he didn't want a division of Hindu votes. Contemporary BJP leaders are unaware of this history," Raut said in a veiled dig at Opposition Leader Devendra Fadnavis.
Raut's comments come amid a war of words between the Shiv Sena and BJP which erupted after Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday accused his former ally of practising "hollow" Hindutva for power.
On Monday, Raut took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that his party took BJP from the bottom to the top in Maharashtra.
He also reiterated Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's statement and said that BJP only uses Hindutva for power.
Raut said, "We took BJP from bottom to top in Maharashtra. After Babri, there was a Shiv Sena wave in Northern India; if we had fought polls at that time, there would have been our (Shiv Sena) Prime Minister in the country but we left it for them. BJP only uses Hindutva for power." Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik also spoke in favour of Uddhav Thackeray's 'Wasted 25 years with BJP' remark.
"It is a fact that the parties that made an alliance with BJP were gradually destroyed by them. It's good to take pride in one's religion, but it is not right to have hatred towards other religions," he said.
Uddhav Thackeray's remarks came on the 96th birth anniversary of the party founder Bal Thackeray.
"We are the ones who supported them (BJP). We had an alliance for 25 years. BJP used Hindutva for power. We left BJP but will not leave Hindutva. BJP is not Hindutva. Tactics were used against us when we challenged them," he said. He also said that the BJP has used Hindutva for power.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
