Uddhav Thackeray runs for cover after Saamana demands burqa ban; Shiv Sena clarifies says it is personal opinion of Sanjay Raut

Uddhav Thackeray runs for cover after Saamana demands burqa ban; Shiv Sena clarifies says it is personal opinion of Sanjay Raut

FPJ Political BureauUpdated: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 08:27 PM IST
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Mumbai: With four days to go before the onset of Ramzan and with three more phases of the Lok Sabha poll yet to be completed, Saamana, the mouthpiece of the Shiv Sena, has demanded a ban on the burqa worn by Muslim women “in the interest of national security”.

Since the Sena is an ally of the ruling BJP, it has faced flak from across the country over its demand. Running for cover, the Sena was forced to clarify that this was not the party’s official stand but the personal opinion of Sanjay Raut, executive editor of Samana and the party’s Rajya Sabha member of Parliament (MP).

Mumbai’s Muslim residents, especially women, had attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai on April 26 and had expressed their support for his government. Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was in Mumbai last week, had claimed Muslims from Kerala too stood behind Modi.

According to highly placed sources in BJP, the Saamana editorial and its demand for a ban on the burqa will badly affect its prospects in the remaining three phases of the parliamentary election. “Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of LS seats – 80 – and BJP is aspiring for a repeat of the 2014 LS polls.

At such a crucial time, Sena’s stand on the burqa may divert Muslim votes from the BJP,” said sources, claiming, “BJP’s leadership has expressed concern over the Sena stand on the matter and asked it to issue an immediate clarification.” On Wednesday afternoon, Sena wasted no time in dismissing the editorial, arguing that it was not the party’s official stand.

Sena spokesperson Dr Neelam Gorhe said, “The Sena’s stand is decided at party meetings and is finally approved following directives of our party president Uddhav Thackeray. The stand taken in the editorial had neither been arrived at after any debate or through any directives.” She further termed it as a ‘personal opinion’, based on current developments and said it does not constitute the official stand of the Shiv Sena.

In the editorial, the Sena, citing the action taken by the Sri Lankan government in banning face coverings after the Easter terror attacks, argued that the Indian government should follow suit, in the interest of national security. Further, the editorial claimed, it had proposed the same idea in the past.

Drawing an analogy from the Ramayana, the editorial remarked the ban had come from Ravana’s Lanka and questioned when the Prime Minister would implement it in Ram’s Ayodhya. The editorial further argued that those religious practices or traditions which interfere with national security ought to cease immediately and Modi would have to do the needful now.

Clarification hat-trick
This is the third time that Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has been embarrassed by the Saamana’s stand and the party leadership has been forced to clarify. On May 1, 2014, the Hindi Saamana had likened Mumbai’s Gujaratis to ‘call girls’ and the party was forced to apologise.

Then there was the issue of the cartoon on the Maratha Kranti Morcha in September 2016, which termed the ‘Muk Morcha’ (silent protest) as ‘Muka Morcha’ (kissing protest).

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