‘We Have Not Left Hindutva’: CM Thackeray Announces Temple Funds

In October, Maharashtra Governor Koshyari in a letter to Thackeray had said that the latter had turned “secular.”

File image of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday, 15 December, announced that his government will take up restoration and preservation of ancient temples, with an aim to "promote ancient culture and traditions".

“My government will work for the preservation of the cultural heritage and richness of the temples,” Thackeray said while taking a dig at old allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In the veiled attack, the Maharashtra Chief Minister said “This will tell you that we (Shiv Sena) have not left Hindutva,” reported The Indian Express.

This comes after the BJP accused CM Uddhav Thackeray of “compromising” on his Hindutva credentials for the “sake of power.”

Earlier in October, an acrimonious exchange erupted between Thackeray and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over places of worship remaining closed in the state due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Koshyari in a letter to Thackeray said that the latter had turned “secular”. CM Thackeray shot back to him saying that he needs to provide no proof of his Hindutva to the governor.

Uddhav Thackeray’s response came on the final day of the Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly, in which the ruling alliance and the BJP exchanged political blows over the Maratha quota stir, the farm bills and the Aarey Metro car shed issue among other things.

Thackeray said “the legal battle for (restoring) the Maratha quota is in the final stage. We have neither changed the legal team nor our stand on Maratha quota. We will win the legal battle,” NDTV quoted him as saying.

He also said that some elements are trying to create a wedge between the communities. Thackeray assured that the existing Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota will remain intact and that the reservation extended to the OBC communities won’t be touched by extending various benefits to the Marathas.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister also referred to the Enforcement Directorate's recent probe against Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik. He said that central agencies like ED and CBI are being treated as domestic servants by the BJP, reported The Indian Express.

"Asking the ED to go after those who bring breach of privilege against your favourite people is political perversity,” said Thackeray.

(With inputs from NDTV and The Indian Express)