Will not remove ‘Hindu’, ‘Jai Bhavani’ from party’s election song, says Uddhav after EC announced

The Election Commission of India (EC) has issued a notice to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) for using “Jai Bhavani Jai Shivaji‘ and ‘Hindu ha tujha dharma‘ in the campaign song for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, citing its religious connotations with a Hindu goddess.

However, Mr Thackeray reacted defiantly and said: “We will not remove these words under any circumstances.” He asked the poll body to address similar cases in the BJP’s campaigns, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of “Bajrang Bali ki Jai” during the parliamentary elections in Karnataka. “It should first act against Prime Minister Modi, who during his campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections had asked people to say:Jai Bajrang Bali‘ and press the button on EVMs. (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah had told people to vote for the BJP to get Ram Lalla darshan for free in Ayodhya,” the former chief minister said.

The Sena (UBT) leader explained that his party had come up with a song to promote its new electoral symbol, the “mashal” (flaming torch), but the EC demanded the removal of “Hindu” and “Jai Bhavani” of it. He defended the inclusion of these words, citing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s establishment of Hindavi Swaraj with the blessings of Goddess Tulja Bhavani, clarifying that they were not asking for votes on the basis of religion. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj founded Hindavi Swaraj with the blessings of Goddess Tulja Bhavani. We are not asking for votes in the name of Goddess or Hindu religion. This is an insult and will not be tolerated,” Mr Thackeray said.

He condemned the directive as an insult and stated his intention “Jai Bhavani” And “Jai Shivaji” in public meetings.

Moreover, the Shiv Sena (UBT) sought clarification from the European Commission on whether any changes had been made in the laws allowing calls for votes in the name of religion. “The poll body has not responded to our letter and the reminder we sent. In the memory we had said that if the laws are changed, we will also say: ‘Har Har Mahadev‘ during our election rallies.”

The 63-year-old leader said his father, late Balasaheb Thackeray, was disenfranchised for six years due to his Hindutva campaign during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister. In addition, the party urged the European Commission to determine whether Mr Modi and Mr Shah’s speeches during the recent parliamentary elections, which invoked religion, constituted a “corrupt practice” within the meaning of the Representation of People Act.

Meanwhile, at a rally in Buldhana district on Sunday, BJP chief JP Nadda criticized the opposition parties and alleged that they were trying hard to save their dynastic politics.

He said the BJP has provided a stable government for the past decade and crucial issues like the practice of instant triple talaq and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya have been resolved under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.

Targeting the opposition, the saffron party leader said that political parties earlier made big claims in their manifesto and forgot about their implementation after coming to power. “The opposition parties in the country are now trying hard to save their dynastic politics, be it the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) or Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT),” Nadda said.

The BJP-led government also came up with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which now offered Indian citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Parsis and Christians (from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have come to India), Mr Nadda said. “The Congress never took such steps to help them,” he said, adding that after Modi came to power, the country’s politics changed and became more accountable to the people. In a way, it has become more responsible, he added.