Shiv Sena doesn't need certificate on Hindutva from any party: Raut

Whenever the country needs it, the Shiv Sena will come to the fore with the sword of Hindutva," Raut said

As Shiv Sena observed the eighth death anniversary of its founder Bal Thackeray, the party on Tuesday made it clear that it does not need a certificate from any party on its Hindutva credentials.

Shiv Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, accompanied by his wife Rashmi and sons Aaditya and Tejas, visited the historic Shivaji Park at Dadar and paid tributes to late Balasaheb.

Later speaking to the media, Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the party stands by the ideals of Balasaheb and the path he has shown.

“We were, we are, and will always be Hindutvawadi… We don’t play Hindutva politics like them. Whenever the country needs us, Shiv Sena will always come forward wielding the sword of Hindutva," he said.

Raut, a Rajya Sabha member and executive editor of Saamana, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, said in an apparent reference to the BJP that Shiv Sena does not want any certificate from any party on its Hindutva credentials.

This was an apparent reference to BJP, its former saffron ally, with which Shiv Sena broke ties and joined hands with the Congress-NCP combine to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

“Last year on this day, the process of government formation was on… this year Uddhavji is paying tributes as a chief minister… it was Balasaheb’s wish to see a Shiv Sainik occupying the chair of the chief minister,” he said.

“Balasaheb took up the issues of sons-of-the-soil and unemployment 55 years ago. Today, the same issue is the mainstay of all social and political movements… you would have seen these were the two main issues in the recently-concluded Bihar polls,” he said.

Raut also targeted the BJP for its demand for renaming New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to Swami Vivekananda. It may be recalled that last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda on the JNU campus.

“Yes… there could be a big international university named after Swami Vivekananda… we must build one... the legacy of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru cannot be undone… he will remain the pride of the country,” he added.