‘Hindu-Muslim DNA same’: Shiv Sena (UBT) heaps praise on RSS chief for meeting community members

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday showered praise on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat for his recent interaction with more than 70 clerics and Muslim intellectuals of the country, saying that it was important amid attempts by “neo Hindutva” activists to create division in society under the garb of Hindutva.

“At a time when some people want to ignite political fire by distorting Hindutva, the RSS chief’s initiative is praiseworthy as the DNA of Hindus and Muslims of Hindustan is the same. Therefore, both communities need to work together. We are all in the same boat. If the boat sinks, everyone will sink. The role of the Sarsanghchalak is to build the nation. For this, RSS chief needs to be praised,” said the Thackeray camp in the mouthpiece Saamana editorial.

Thackeray camp said that RSS chief understood the pain and role of Muslim intellectuals, especially when the atmosphere of religious tension is being created by some groups of BJP in the country by targeting the Muslim community, and it was discussed at length.

“But, will this attempt of RSS to get closer to the Muslim community be liked by the new contractors of Hindutva in the BJP? Especially, the neo-Hindutva activists of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra and Delhi, who have recently created a ruckus in the name of Hindutva, will oppose it. The new cleric in the Maharashtra cabinet, Nitesh Rane, must have been shocked by this attitude of Bhagwat, and due to this, Minister Rane may resign. Because given the venom that this gentleman has spewed against Muslims in the last few days, the current stance of the Sarsanghchalak will not be acceptable to such groups,” said the editorial.

According to the Thackeray camp, these people were at the forefront of creating Hindu-Muslim divisions by ‘targeting’ Muslims for political gains, provoking Hindu society to create ‘differences’ and giving slogans like ‘Batenge to Katenge’, ‘Ek Hain to Safe Hain’ during the assembly elections. All of them should keep one thing in mind that in the last three months in Maharashtra, Santosh Deshmukh, Mahadev Munde, Harshal Patil, among others, have been killed, while 700 farmers lost their lives.

Referring to the Pahalgam attack, Thackeray camp further alleged that the murder was committed by Pakistanis, but the pro-Hindutva Home Minister Amit Shah has not been able to arrest the killers yet.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in a state of Samadhi (a state of deep concentration) and has maintained silence on all this. Those who are spewing venom are the same who are amending the Waqf Board Act. Muslim leaders are also unhappy with this. BJP wants to sell the valuable lands of the Waqf Board to cronies. If this happens, then another mask of the BJP’s conspiracy will be removed. Some fake Hindutvaites of Maharashtra (without directly naming Eknath Shinde and his followers after the rebellion in June 2022) went to a temple in Guwahati and slaughtered buffaloes. There may be thousands of flaws in Hinduism, but the thinkers and reformers who attacked those flaws have emerged from this society. Their continuous attacks were successful in breaking the framework of the evils prevalent in Hinduism,” said the editorial.

Thackeray camp claimed that casteism, superstitions and rituals are still followed today. Social Reformers like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and Prof Kalburgi, who opposed this, were murdered by ritualistic people. Therefore, it is in the national interest to eradicate the fanaticism prevalent in all religions and societies.

The editorial took a swipe at PM Modi, saying that people have started considering “Narendra Modi as an incarnation of God, Vishnu.” This is also a form of ritualism. “And then, these incarnations of Vishnu wake up every day and tell lies, and the devotees clap for those lies. This kind of Hindutva is dangerous and anti-national. By deciding that only we will live in India and people of other religions do not even have the right to ‘vote’, the names of Muslims, Christians and Dalits are being removed first from Maharashtra and now from Bihar. This should be the real subject of contemplation among Sarsanghchalak Bhagwat and Muslim intellectuals,” it added.

Thackeray camp hailed the participation of the Muslim community in India’s freedom struggle, saying that it was quite crucial in nation-building.

It further pointed out that when Muslims participated in the revolution and became martyrs, today’s BJP was not even born.

“Muslim soldiers sacrificed in every war with Pakistan. About 16 Indian citizens of Poonch and Rajouri were killed in the attack carried out by Pakistan during ‘Operation Sindoor’. They were also Muslims. If the names of Hamid Dalwai and Yusuf Meher Ali have not reached the ears of the new Hindutva contractors of Maharashtra, then they should clean their ears. Shahir Amar Sheikh’s challenge in the Samyukta Maharashtra struggle is still echoing in every corner of Maharashtra, but some people want to ignite political fire by distorting Hindutva. However, the Neo Hindutva activists and the Hindutva contractors are seriously disturbed, but they should realise that both Hindu and Muslim communities are important and they should together contribute to nation building,” remarked the Thackeray camp.

–IANS