Former Maharashtra CM and Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday hit out at the BJP's former ally Shiv Sena, claiming that not a single leader or worker from the party was present when the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was brought down.
Without naming Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, he said it was the ‘kar sevaks’ who brought it down.
Fadnavis also lashed out at the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and accused it of rampant corruption and misuse of office while addressing the Mumbai BJP’s ‘booster dose’ rally.
Late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, post the demolition of the Babri structure on December 6, 1992, had said: “Babri padli, ti padnarya Shiv Sainikancha mala abhiman ahe” (I am proud of the Shiv Sainiks who razed Babri).
Last week, Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut had questioned: "When Babri mosque was demolished, where were these people? Shiv Sena workers shed their blood on the streets but people like him did not even shed sweat. He has done nothing at all.”
Responding to the charge, the BJP stalwart said: “This Devendra Fadnavis was present when the Babri structure was brought down…we never considered it as mosque, it was a structure….they (Shiv Sena) claim that they have done it…but let me tell you not a single Shiv Sena leader or Shiv Sanik was present there”.
“Besides, if you look at the list of 32 accused in the case - L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh…, not a single Shiv Sainiks figure in the last,” he said.
Lambasting Shiv Sena, he said: “People who're scared of removing loudspeakers from mosques are saying that they demolished Babri.”
Fadnavis also targeted Thackeray on the issue of Hindutva. “Today I can say that you (Shiv Sena) don’t represent Hindutva anymore,” he said about its former ally of 30 years.
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