Uddhav Thackeray appears to have lost the plot completely and turned his angst against former ally BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) into full-fledged Hindudvesh (Hinduphobia). On 10 September, he repeated the conspiracy theory he spewed at his Hingoli rally in August stating Hindus returning from the Ram Mandir inauguration could be attacked in a ‘Godhra-like incident’.

What did Thackeray say?

On 10 September, Uddhav Thackeray, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), expressed concern about a potential incident similar to the one that happened in Godhra in 2002. In Godhra, a train carrying devotees was set on fire, resulting in the death of 59 people.

Thackeray stated that a similar incident might occur during the return journey of devotees coming to Ayodhya for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in January 2024. He suggested that the government might invite a large number of people for the temple inauguration and that they could be ‘attacked’ on their way back home.

Leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized Thackeray’s remarks. They accused him of making such statements for political gain and said that this alliance (referring to the I.N.D.I alliance) opposes Prime Minister Modi and would do anything for votes. They also called Thackeray’s comments shameful and disrespectful.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur expressed uncertainty about what Balasaheb would have thought today and raised questions about Uddhav Thackeray’s actions, stating that it was driven by his greed for power. BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said that he believes the entire alliance is opposing PM Modi and is willing to do anything for votes. He added that he prayed to Prabhu Ram to grant them wisdom while referring to Thackeray’s remarks as shameful and indecent and condemning them.

‘Hindutvawadi’ Thackeray turns pseudo-secular for power

Ever since Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with Congress (INC) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), he has never missed an opportunity to display his Hindu hate (Hindudvesh) albeit using the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) as a red herring. In the latest instance, Thackeray compared the Hindu holy Swastika to the Nazi symbol Hakenkreuz.

HinduPost had reported Thackeray’s farewell speech in July 2022 which was a clear indication of his shift towards pseudo-secularism. One of the things that stuck out like a sore thumb in his speech was his ‘commitment’ to Hindutva. Despite being in power for the past two and half years, it was only in his last cabinet meeting as CM that Thackeray officially renamed Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv. Interestingly, both NCP and Congress backed Thackeray even though INC had opposed the move all along.

Such a committed Hindu CM had banned the Pandharpur Wari using the pandemic as an excuse. The Warkaris of Pandharpur were not permitted to carry out their annual wari during Ashad Ekadashi – the state even reneged on its promise to some palkhis to provide them transportation. Then came the MVA government order to ‘contain’ Ganesh Utsav celebrations. Subsequently, in November 2020 the Thackeray government banned Chhath Puja.

Contrast the ‘orders’ for Hindus with the ‘request’ made to Muslims: the MVA Government has ‘appealed’ to the Muslim community to celebrate Eid-al-Adha (Bakri Eid) symbolically ‘if possible’. The operational word here is “if possible”; the government that shamelessly punishes Hindus and bends over backwards for the so-called minority vote bank. The Uddhav government had even committed to reservations for Muslims but was dilly-dallying on Maratha reservations.

It was under Hindutva Thackeray’s watch that two Sadhus and their Hindu driver were lynched to death in Palghar. It was during Thackeray’s tenure that posters of Bhagwan Ram put up during the Ram Mandir fund collection drive were torn down. In his farewell speech, Thackeray thanked Muslims for maintaining peace and law & order in the state. Only recently, Umesh Kolhe was murdered by four Muslims, and before that 26-year-old Sriram was reportedly assaulted by three Muslims for putting up a status supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. There have been numerous instances of hooliganism by ruling MVA party members.

Is Thackeray’s latest conspiracy theory a reflection of his frustration after losing control of his party and power or simply a rant to co-opt politicians like Moitra? Whatever the case, that is quite rich coming from one who disrespected the mandate of the citizens of Maharashtra.

In fact, his frustration with or hatred for the BJP (whatever it might be) is morphing into full-fledged Hindu hate. It is almost as if he is wishing for the death of Hindus in a repeat of Godhra 2002 and would gleefully celebrate the same only to show his former ally and PM Modi in a bad light, just like the liberals want!