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Journalism of Courage
EVEN as the BJP and Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena took a swipe at Urdu banners seen before Uddhav Thackeray’s Malegaon rally on Sunday, the Shiv Sena (UBT) said such posters and banner will appear everywhere and before every rally, adding it sees nothing wrong in conveying the message in the language the people understands.
Uddhav Sena has found support in AIMIM in this regard as the latter slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its “bid to belittle” Urdu language.
“The posters in Urdu were put up by local leaders of our party. Malegaon has a large chunk of Muslim population. If our posters and banners come up in a language that people understand, what is the harm in it…BJP has this habit of raking up mud in the name of language, region and religion,” Sanjay Raut, chief spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (UBT), told The Indian Express.
Raut said sometimes Urdu is required to reply to people who understand the language. “Javed Akhar went to Pakistan and gave them a befitting reply in their own Urdu language. Let the BJP keep hating Urdu language, but Uddhav Thackeray respects all languages, regions and religions…We respect Urdu langauge like we do other languages,” he said.
Referring to the deputy Chief Minister, Raut said, “(Devendra) Fadnavis who has taken oath on Indian Constitution should not teach us what is culture, values and Hindutva….We will reply to Balasaheb Thackeray, he should leave it to us.”
Extending support to Uddhav Sena, AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel said, “If Uddhav Thackeray’s party has put up banners in Urdu, there is nothing wrong in it as Malegaon has a large Muslim population which understands Urdu. But a language should not be associated with any particular community. The BJP is doing it not only with a language, but they are doing it with everything, from food to clothes. The BJP is targetting a particular community.”
BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said, “Uddhav Sena is trying to change the saffron colour which was so close to Balasaheb Thackeray’s heart by putting up posters in Urdu…They are doing this for the sake of gaining power.”
The back and forth between the leaders of BJP-Shinde Sena and Uddhav Sena continued on Twitter too as leaders of both sides shared pictures of seniors leaders attending Iftar parties and wearing skull caps.
Sheetal Mhatre, spokesperson for the Shinde group, tweeted: “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built Hindu Swaraj on this soil. Were you born in this soil of Maharashtra? Is this your Hindutva ideology?”
Ambadas Danve, who belongs to Uddhav Sena, tweeted a picture of Fadnavis at a gathering of Muslim community with the caption: “Those who live in glass houses, don’t throw stones at others.”
