Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, a prominent figure in the BJP, paid homage to Bal Thackeray on his birth anniversary on Tuesday. Fadnavis expressed the sentiment that the founder of Shiv Sena, Bal Thackeray, should have been alive to witness the historic inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
In a video posted by Fadnavis, he praised Balasaheb Thackeray as a powerful leader and an influential cartoonist whose views were vividly conveyed through his art. The video featured images of Bal Thackeray alongside BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The video also included old clippings of Bal Thackeray expressing his views on Hindutva in an interview, where he stated, “To me, Hindutva is Rashtravad (nationalism). And if Rashtravad is a crime, I will commit it repeatedly.”
Reflecting on the recent consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, Fadnavis expressed his wish that Balasaheb Thackeray could have witnessed this historic moment.
Fadnavis recalled a significant moment when Bal Thackeray, in response to questions about the Babri Mosque demolition, proudly stated, “If my Sainiks did the Babri Masjid demolition, I will be proud.”
While acknowledging the historical relationship between the BJP and Bal Thackeray, who passed away in 2012, Fadnavis emphasized the enduring inspiration drawn from Thackeray’s Hindutva legacy.
On the day of the Ram temple consecration celebration, Uddhav Thackeray, president of Shiv Sena (UBT), offered prayers at the Kalaram temple in Nashik and is scheduled to address a public rally there. Fadnavis and the BJP have accused Shiv Sena (UBT) of compromising on the Hindutva agenda by forming alliances with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
In response to criticism from Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut questioning Fadnavis’s role as a kar sevak for the Ram temple, Fadnavis retorted, “I don’t respond to fools.”