Ab Hindu Maaf Nahi Karega: Uddhav Declares ‘Ram Raksha Andolan’ Against BJP
“Ram devotees would gather at Ram and Hanuman temples across Maharashtra to hold the BJP accountable”: Reports
MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday announced a major protest ‘Ram Raksha Andolan’ targeting the BJP over alleged theft and financial irregularities in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation boxes. Launching a fierce attack against his political rivals over the corruption allegations, Mr. Thackeray declared, “Ab Hindu maaf nahi karega” (Hindus will not forgive now). He urged Ram devotees from across Maharashtra to gather for the demonstration near the Maruti Temple at Kabutarkhana in Dadar on Sunday at 4pm.
Mr. Thackeray said that while his party previously organized maha-artis to awaken the Hindu community, the current initiative aims to make an already awakened community demand answers from the government. Terming the upcoming event as just the beginning, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief announced plans for a state-wide mobilization. “Ram devotees would gather at Ram and Hanuman temples across Maharashtra to hold the BJP accountable,” he declared.
Claiming that widespread chaos and apathy toward ordinary citizens have gripped the nation due to a total breakdown of accountability, Mr. Thackeray asserted that the time has come to strike at the root of these issues. He said that the Ram Mandir movement remains the foundation of the BJP’s political power, recalling that Shiv Sainiks and Hindus nationwide participated heavily in the agitation.
“Many Shiv Sainiks were involved in the movement that took place for the Ram Mandir. Hindus from all over the country participated. Hindus suffered a lot in the atrocities against Karsevaks, the Godhra riots, the Ahmedabad riots, and the Mumbai bomb blasts,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said.
Mr. Thackeray noted that the country is currently under the absolute control of the BJP. “The party had only two MPs before shifting its ideology from Gandhian Socialism to Hindutva to spearhead the Ram Mandir movement. Today, by capitalising on this (the Ram Mandir movement), they are enjoying absolute power in the country. It is unfortunate that during the tenure of such a BJP, the Ram Mandir issue is being discussed for different reasons,” he said.
Levelling serious allegations of political corruption, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief equated engineering defections with “dacoity”. He questioned if the ruling party was running an “Operation Ram Mandir” to poach opposition lawmakers, alleging that funds linked to the temple project were being diverted to split political parties.
“Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee once said, “Ab Hindu maaf nahi karega”. Today, I say the time has come to declare, “Ab Hindu maaf nahi karega”. Hindus will not sit quietly until they teach a lesson to those who are looting temples,” Mr. Thackeray said.