Former chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday asked why Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was concerned about building a mosque named after Babar, who invaded the country, but not disclosing his intention about construction of the Ram temple.
The BJP, on the eve of the budget session of the legislature, attempted to take advantage of a disagreement between the three parties in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government over the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizenship (NRC), and National Population Register (NPR). It said the BJP would support Shiv Sena chief and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray if he decided to bring in a resolution announcing implementation of the CAA and NPR in Maharashtra. “The MVA government was formed on November 28 but is still a directionless and U-turn government. We are in no mood to attend the tea party of the State government,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
An invitation to the Opposition for tea is for better communication, he said. “But I think it is the Sena, Congress and NCP who need to improve their communication first. They have not implemented a single promise, very clearly showing that all those were false promises.” He was referring to the Congress’s opposition to implement the CAA and NPR in the State, while Mr. Thackeray has softened his stand on implementing them, with an assurance that they would bring no harm to the people.
Raking up the issue of Mr. Pawar questioning the non-formation of a trust to construct a mosque on the lines of the Ram temple trust, Mr. Fadnavis said, “I don’t know whether he wants a Ram temple or not. But why is he obsessed with constructing Babri mosque, named after an invader? I think leaders as big as him should control what they say in public and avoid appeasement politics.”
Addressing a press conference after holding a meeting of BJP legislators to decide the Opposition’s strategy in the budget session, Mr. Fadnavis said he congratulates Mr. Thackeray on two counts. “He decided to hand over the probe into the urban Naxal issue to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and supported the CAA and NPR.”
The former CM slammed the Congress for its alleged disrespect shown towards Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar in its mouthpiece Shidori, where he was called an apologist and also allegedly jailed in England over allegations of committing a rape. “How can the Sena, which idolises Savarkar, remain in power with such a party? We want the government to bring in a resolution celebrating the work of Savarkar on February 26,” he said.
Commenting on the Central government transferring the probe in the Bhima-Koregaon violence and Elgar Parishad case to the NIA, the BJP leader said the decision was a welcome step as the probe till now by the Maharashtra Police had shown the spread of urban Maoism in different States.
“Mr. Pawar had claimed that the Bhima-Koregaon violence was due to Hindutva forces. His theory was turning out to be wrong after the police probe and that is why he is questioning the probe by the State police,” Mr. Fadnavis claimed.