No Shiv Sena leader was present in Ayodhya when Babri mosque was razed, I was there: Devendra Fadnavis
02 May 2022 11:15:39
Mumbai, May 2: Calling out the Shiv Sena on the issue of Hindutva, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said he was present in Ayodhya when Babri structure was brought down, claiming that no Sena leader was there when it happened.
He said he did not consider Babri a mosque, but a “dhancha" (structure) as “no Hindu can ever pull down a mosque". “I want to ask you where you were when the structure was brought down? I am saying with pride that, yes, I was there to bring the structure down. This Devendra Fadnavis was there to bring the structure down. Also, this Devendra Fadnavis spent 18 days in Badaun central jail before that for doing kar seva for the Ram temple," he added.
Fadnavis asked which leader from Maharashtra had gone to Ayodhya when the structure was brought down. “No Shiv Sena leader was present there at that time," he said, adding that one of the 32 accused of the incident was present on the stage as he delivered his speech.
Further attacking the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis also said the party alone does not mean Maharashtra or Hindutva and its insult does not mean the insult of the state. The BJP is asked by its opponents in Maharashtra to talk about the alleged intrusion by Chinese troops into the Indian territory, he said while alleging that 50,000 hectares of Indian land was “donated to China" during Congress’s regime.
“You sent a deputy secretary to attend to the Mauritius prime minister when he landed in Maharashtra (recently). You did not respect him. Who will bring industries here then?" he asked.
Fadnavis accused the MVA govt of indulging in corruption during the pandemic, and also alleged that it was working to keep interests of developers and bar owners instead of common people.
Flaking the Sena on Hanuman Chalisa issue and the arrest of MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana, Fadnavis asked whether the Uddhav Thackeray-led govt was on side of Lord Ram or Ravana. Fadnavis claimed that he was lodged in Badaun central jail for 18 days for doing ‘kar seva’ for the Ram temple construction purpose.
His attack comes in wake of Shiv Sena, asking where BJP leaders were when the mosque were razed in early 1990s in Ayodhya. “They asked the other day where were we hiding when the Babri structure was brought downthey got scared like hell when they were asked to remove loudspeakers from mosques and are now claiming that they brought down the Babri mosque structure," Fadnavis said.
He said he did not consider Babri a mosque, but a “dhancha" (structure) as “no Hindu can ever pull down a mosque". “I want to ask you where you were when the structure was brought down? I am saying with pride that, yes, I was there to bring the structure down. This Devendra Fadnavis was there to bring the structure down. Also, this Devendra Fadnavis spent 18 days in Badaun central jail before that for doing kar seva for the Ram temple," he added.
Fadnavis asked which leader from Maharashtra had gone to Ayodhya when the structure was brought down. “No Shiv Sena leader was present there at that time," he said, adding that one of the 32 accused of the incident was present on the stage as he delivered his speech.
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Fadnavis also said that reciting Hanuman Chalisa amounted to sedition in Maharashtra on the alliance’s watch. He was referring to action taken against the Rana couple recently after they insisted on reciting ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside ‘Matoshree. “What is said in their (Ranas’) charge sheet? That because of their announcement of reciting Hanuman Chalisa outside CM’s residence, they were toppling the government and hence, they were jailed," Fadnavis said.
Further attacking the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis also said the party alone does not mean Maharashtra or Hindutva and its insult does not mean the insult of the state. The BJP is asked by its opponents in Maharashtra to talk about the alleged intrusion by Chinese troops into the Indian territory, he said while alleging that 50,000 hectares of Indian land was “donated to China" during Congress’s regime.
Also Read | Devendra Fadnavis condemns protests against Sharad Pawar's residence, calls it 'intel failure'
Fadnavis said Indian soldiers showed valour in Galwan Valley against the Chinese troops. “When you say China is intruding, whose insult is it? It is the insult of those jawans who killed Chinese soldiers without weapons risking their lives and forced the Chinese troops to withdraw from the valley," he added. He hit out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar for saying whether reciting Hanuman Chalisa will resolve unemployment issues in the state. “The unemployment issue also cannot be addressed by attending iftar party as well. Don’t you need investment if you want to address the unemployment issue?" he asked.
“You sent a deputy secretary to attend to the Mauritius prime minister when he landed in Maharashtra (recently). You did not respect him. Who will bring industries here then?" he asked.
Fadnavis accused the MVA govt of indulging in corruption during the pandemic, and also alleged that it was working to keep interests of developers and bar owners instead of common people.