In a recent public meeting held in Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of the state and the leader of the Shiv Sena party, made some controversial remarks regarding his alleged association with the Indian National Congress and his stance on Hindutva.
Thackeray, who has been accused by some of abandoning his party’s Hindutva ideology and aligning with the Congress, responded by asking if there are no Hindus in the Congress party. He also criticized the Hindutva ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its political arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), describing it as “Gaumutradhari Hindutva,” or cow-urine Hindutva.
During his speech, Thackeray alleged that the BJP supporters had sprinkled cow urine at the site where the Shiv Sena held its public meeting. He further added that if they had drunk cow urine, they would have become wiser. He emphasized that his party’s Hindutva ideology is about nationalism, not cow urine.
Thackeray’s remarks have sparked a heated debate among political circles and social media, with some accusing him of promoting pseudo-science and derogatory remarks against Hindu beliefs. However, his supporters have defended him, saying that his statements were taken out of context and that he was merely highlighting the difference between his party’s ideology and that of the BJP.
The Shiv Sena, which was founded in 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray, Uddhav’s father, has long been associated with the Hindutva ideology and is a key ally of the Congress in Maharashtra. However, the party has recently distanced itself from the BJP and formed a government in the state with the support of Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The controversy surrounding Thackeray’s remarks highlights the ongoing tensions between the different political parties in India and the sensitive nature of the Hindutva ideology, which has been a major factor in shaping Indian politics in recent years.
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