Won't Abide by ECI Notice to Remove Hindu, Jai Bhavani from Party Anthem: Uddhav
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that the Election Commission of India instructed him to remove the words “Jai Bhavani” and “Hindu” from his party’s campaign song, but he will not abide by it. He termed the poll panel’s notice as a “fatwa” and an insult to Maharashtra.
Last week, the Shiv Sena (UBT) had launched its song with an aim to promote its new election symbol —‘mashal’ (flaming torch). The party has submitted a copy of the song to the ECI, after which the notice was issued.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief alleged that the ECI is working under the influence of ruling parties, which are accusing him of abandoning Hindutva. “They (BJP leaders) should now speak whether it is appropriate to ask him to remove the word Hindu from the song. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj founded Hindavi Swaraj with the blessings of goddess Tulja Bhavani. We are not asking for votes in the name of the goddess or Hindu religion. This is an insult and will not be tolerated,” Thackeray said.
The former Maharashtra chief minister also showed video clips of past election speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah and alleged that the BJP leaders had in fact invoked religion in their election campaign.
“Modi had sought votes in the name of Hanuman in the Karnataka Assembly elections, while Amit Shah made a promise of free darshan of Lord Rama temple at Ayodhya if the BJP came to power in Madhya Pradesh. Following this, I had written a letter to the poll panel to seek a clarification whether such things are allowed in the campaign. But the poll panel did not respond. We also sent a reminder to the ECI seeking clarification if the ECI has given permission to the BJP leaders for such campaigns. In that case the Shiv Sena (UBT) would also use “Har Har Mahadev” or “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji”,” he said.
Thackeray said that his party would continue to raise slogans “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji” in his public meetings.