Uddhav downplays ally Prakash Ambedkar’s tributes at Aurangzeb’s tomb
The Hindu
The Sena (UBT) chief said that some parties wanted people to be stuck in history and foment riots in the name of Aurangzeb or something else, as it suited them ahead of elections.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray lashed out at his BJP detractors on Tuesday, even as he downplayed his ally, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar’s recent visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb. In a veiled jibe, Mr. Thackeray noted that even stalwart BJP leader L.K. Advani had bowed before the tomb of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone to Pakistan to eat cake on occasion of then-Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s birthday.
Speaking at the Sena Bhawan in Mumbai’s Dadar area, the Sena (UBT) chief said that some parties wanted people to be stuck in history and foment riots in the name of Aurangzeb or something else, as it suited them ahead of elections.
“When we used to be allies, [alluding to the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance of 25 years] L.K. Advani had bowed before Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s tomb [during his Pakistan visit in 2005] and PM Modi had gone to Pakistan to eat cake on the occasion of then-PM Nawaz Sharif’s birthday [in 2015]… There are some who want that people should remain stuck in history. They want to stoke riots in Aurangzeb’s name and run their business,” said Mr. Thackeray, taking aim at the ruling BJP over the wave of communal incidents that have rocked Maharashtra.
On Saturday, June 17, Mr. Ambedkar — the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar — had visited Aurangzeb’s tomb in Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) and offered floral tributes to the Mughal emperor.
His eyebrow-raising visit came in the wake of the recent communal tensions in Ahmednagar and especially Kolhapur, which erupted in violence after some Muslim college students posted WhatsApp statuses and audio messages on Aurangzeb, which offended and provoked Hindu outfits.
Following his visit, Mr. Ambedkar had said: “What was wrong in visiting Aurangzeb’s tomb? He was a Mughal emperor who ruled here for nearly 50 years. Can we wipe out history? Instead of abusing Aurangzeb, we should reflect on why he ruled here. What were the reasons… We should be mindful of our past. Instead of spreading hatred, let us reconcile ourselves to historical facts.”
Questioning the hullaballoo over some individuals posting pictures of Aurangzeb on social media, Mr. Ambedkar said that there was a deliberate attempt to politicise these issues.
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