Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray projected as real mascot of Hindutva through city posters

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena, which has already slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its stand on the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, has come up with posters showing party chief Uddhav Thackeray with clenched fist and a tag line “Hindutvachi Vajramooth” (the iron fist of Hindutva). It seems the party is trying to project Thackeray as the real mascot of Hindutva. The posters have come up on the occasion of its annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park, Dadar scheduled on October 18.

Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is all set to blow the party’s bugle for the 2019 polls at the Shiv Tirth (Shivaji Park), Dadar rally. This would be a last Dussehra rally of Sena before the Lok Sabha and assembly polls. Sources in the Sena claimed Thackeray is most likely to serve an ultimatum to its estranged ruling ally — the BJP on pre-poll alliance.

Thackeray has directed party leaders to gather a crowd of at least five lakh cadres from across the state for its rally. Sources from the Sena said, “Although mobilising such a huge crowd may not be a big issue, the crowd capacity of Shivaji Park, Dadar is not more than a lakh and it is a mystery as to how such a huge crowd will be accommodated at the venue.”

On the other hand, as Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, chief of Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) tied up his political knot with AIMIM to woo the votes of Dalit and Muslim, Muslim Shiv Sainik (party worker) Nasseb Shaikh from Beed district has started a campaign ‘Mi Marathi Musalman’ (I am Marathi Muslman).

Shaikh (33), a resident of Sirsala in Parli Taluka, and hardcore Shiv sainik, appealed through video that the Muslim community should participate in the Shiv Sena’a Dussehra rally. He stated, “Sena always respects patriotic Muslims and on the contrary, opposition political parties misled Muslims for last several years and used them as vote bank.”