Shiv Sena MP’s letter supporting CAA-NRC rally stirs row

Patil’s letter surfaced on Wednesday. Addressed to the Hingoli district collector, the December 24 letter expresses his support for CAA and NRC. “I express my regret for not being able to attend today’s protest rally in support of CAA and NRC in Hingoli as I have to attend a meeting in Mumbai with the CM on issues of irrigation projects and vacancies in government departments in Hingoli. I have voted in favour of the law in Lok Sabha. Shiv Sena has been a Hindutva party and has taken an aggressive stand on it. I am giving this letter expressing my complete support to the law,” the letter stated.

Earlier this month, the Sena’s stand on CAA was questioned after its MPs voted in favour of it in Lok Sabha. After the Congress expressed its displeasure on it, the Sena changed its stand and abstained from voting in Rajya Sabha.

Patil claimed the text of the letter has been pasted on a letter he had written for reservation for a railway seat. “Why will I write a letter to the district collector expressing support for the law? If I wanted, I would have written to the organisation behind the protest. Yesterday, I was with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai. Some people from RSS have copy pasted the text on my other letter written for railway reservation,” Patil said.

Patil, on Wednesday evening, submitted a written letter to the Hingoli police asking it to investigate the matter of “illegally misusing his letter”.

Ganesh Hake, BJP spokesperson, said, “It is wrong to blame RSS as they would not do such a thing. The Sena has voted in favour of CAA in Lok Sabha. So, they should say so openly.”