Maharashtra polls: Amit Shah has failed to understand state, says Sanjay Raut on BJP leader's Savarkar dare

Sanjay Raut. File Pic

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who asked Uddhav Thackeray-led party to make Congress say good words about Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, has failed to understand Maharashtra, reported the PTI.

Amit Shah on Sunday that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray was siding with Congress, whose leaders have insulted Balasaheb Thackeray and Veer Savarkar.

IN PHOTOS: Mallikarjun Kharge, Supriya Sule, Sanjay Raut and others at MVA manifesto launch

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The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi's poll promises are an insult to ideology and promote appeasement, said Shah after unveiling the BJP's manifesto for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly election 2024.

Talking to reporters, Sanjay Raut said, "Amit Shah hasn't understood Maharashtra. He should first speak about the insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a statue the government erected and Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled collapsed in eight months," according to the PTI.

This isn't the first time the BJP has taken a dig at the MVA over Congress's stand on Savarkar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dared Congress allies in Maharashtra to get party MP Rahul Gandhi to speak for 15 minutes in praise of Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

Without naming Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray or any other Maha Vikas Aghadi allies, PM Modi had said, "I want to dare Congress' allies to make the Congress yuvraj (Rahul Gandhi) speak 15 minutes in praise of Savarkar and his sacrifices for the country. Similarly, the yuvraj should also be made to speak in praise of Balasaheb Thackeray," as per the PTI.

Meanwhile, Amit Shah on Sunday said the MVA was indulging in appeasement politics at the cost of Maharashtra's social fabric.

Addressing rallies in Raver assembly constituency in Jalgaon and Malkapur seat in Buldhana, Shah pointed out to a recent memorandum submitted by the Ulema Association to the opposition Congress seeking 10 per cent reservation in jobs and education for the Muslim community, the news agency reported on Sunday.

The demand for 10 per cent quota for the Muslim community would eat into the benefits of Dalits, tribals and Other Backward Classes, since there is a 50 per cent cap on quota and any increase will come at the cost of existing ones, he told the gathering.

"Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders' lust for power has blinded them to long-term consequences of their actions on marginalised communities. The BJP is firmly committed to welfare of all communities but is strictly against any form of reservations for Muslims. As long as there is even one BJP MP or MLA, we will oppose religion-based reservation. This is our commitment," he asserted, as per the PTI.

"The MVA parties have compromised the country's safety due to their appeasement politics. They are undermining national security for the sake of votes," he added.

(with PTI inputs)