Surprised over morcha against ‘love jihad’: Shiv Sena

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party over right-wing groups taking out a march against “love-jihad” and questioned the need for such a protest when the “so-called Hindutvavadi government” is in power at the Centre and Maharashtra.

In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena said BJP plays its “trump card” whenever it feels jolts of defeat. Now they have begun the game of playing the Hindu-Muslim card, it said.

Activists of right-wing organisations on Sunday took out a ‘Hindu Jan Akrosh Morcha’ in Mumbai against ‘love jihad’ and demanded anti-conversion laws and a crackdown on land grabbing in the name of religion. Leaders and workers of outfits including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajrang Dal, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) marched in the rally.

The rally, organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj, began from Shivaji Park in Dadar — where Shiv Sena Bhavan, the headquarters of the UBT faction of the party, is located.

“There is a so-called fierce Hindutvavadi government in the state as well at the Centre. Then how come your (the ones who took out the rally) Hindutva is in danger?

“With Modi-Shah at the Centre, there is a Ramrajya and this state is a heaven for Hindus this is what their (supporters of the BJP) people say. So it is surprising that there was still the ‘Aakrosh’ morcha (rally),” it said.

The Saamana further said taking out such a march would have been logical had the Muslim League been (ruling) the Centre and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) government in Maharashtra.

“If there is a question of love-jihad or forced conversion then there should be a strong law. But whenever elections are around the corner there is a talk of ‘Hindutva being in danger’ in BJP-ruled states,” it said.

If the ‘Aakrosh’ morcha was just for elections, then it is dishonesty towards Hindutva, it said.

It also took a dig at the BJP-led Centre, saying conferring Padma Vibhushan on “Maulana” Mulayam Singh, the late Samajwadi Party patriarch, is an “insult to sacrifices of thousands of karsevaks of the Ram Mandir movement”.