Those who question our beliefs should listen to Mohan Bhagwat, said Uddhav Thackeray (Archive)
Mumbai:
The dispute between the prime minister and the governor in Maharashtra continued on Dussehra day today, when Uddhav Thackeray responded to Bhagat Singh Koshyari in his Vijayadashami speech, advising him to follow the speech of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Holding the definition of the Hindutva RSS chief as criterion, he also issued a warning: “If anyone wants to challenge us, please do so at your own risk.”
“They are asking us questions about Hindutva because we have not yet opened temples,” Thackeray said without naming the governor.
“You are talking about our Hindutva. So in Maharashtra, you are banning beef, but in Goa you are fine with meat. Is this your Hindutva?” Thackeray said, responding with one of the most controversial issues on which critics have accused the BJP of having double standards.
Citing the views of Mohan Bhagwat, who leads the BJP’s ideological mentor, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Chief Minister said: “Mohan Bhagwat said today that Hindutva is not linked only to bidding. So people who wear black cap and question our beliefs and call us laity should listen to Bhagwat’s speech today. “
In a further twist, he added: “People who believe and follow him (Mr. Koshyari) wear a black cap. If he has brains underneath, at least follow him (Mohan Bhagwat) and his statements today.”
Speaking of misconceptions in his Vijayadashami speech this morning, Mr. Bhagwat had said that the meaning of Hindutva “has been distorted by adding a ritual connotation to it.”
“Sangh does not use it to refer to this misconception. For us, it is the word that expresses our identity along with the continuity of its spiritual-based traditions and its entire wealth system of values in the land of Bharat,” he added.
The issue of opening places of worship had sparked a bitter exchange between the Chief Minister and the Governor earlier this month, with Koshyari, on a sarcastic note, questioning whether Thackeray had “gone secular.”
“I wonder if they are getting some divine premonition to keep putting off the reopening of places of worship over and over again or if they have gone ‘secular’, a term they hated.” Mr. Koshyari’s letter was being read.
The governor also called it “ironic” that it was allowed to open bars, restaurants and beaches in the state, but “our gods and goddesses have been condemned to remain locked up.”
Uddhav Thackeray replied that he did not need a Hindutva certificate from anyone and that he would take a call on the matter after careful consideration.
Koshyari’s is the latest in a line of governors and deputy governors at odds with the chief ministers of opposition-ruled states and Union territories.
The list includes Deputy Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, and his predecessor Najeeb Jung in Delhi and Kiran Bedi in Puducherry.
In Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankar is a strong critic of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the two have recurring ranks on Twitter.
Koshyari’s letter on October 13, a day the BJP organized protests, amplified the argument that the governor’s office is pushing the BJP’s agenda.
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