Hindutva is culture, not chaos, says Shiv Sena; slams BJP over Hanuman Chalisa row

Mumbai, April 25

In the wake of a political row in Maharashtra over the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa, the Shiv Sena on Monday hit out at the BJP saying the Hindutva ideology is a culture and not chaos.

An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, claimed the BJP’s “rotten brain” was behind independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana’s earlier call to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence ‘Matoshree’, which resulted in angry protests by Shiv Sainiks outside the couple’s home here on Saturday.

The Marathi daily alleged that the Rana couple wanted to vitiate the city’s atmosphere, and said they should conduct this programme in the office lobby of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“Hindutva is doing fine in Maharashtra because it is being led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. There is no restriction on reciting Hanuman Chalisa in the state, but why was there an insistence to recite it outside Matoshree?” the editorial asked.

“The chaos resorted to by the BJP cannot be supported. Hindutva is a culture, not chaos,” it said.

The Rana couple was arrested by the Mumbai police on Saturday. They were remanded to judicial custody on Sunday and booked by the police under sedition charges for challenging the government machinery and making remarks against Thackeray.

“Hanuman is the follower of satyavachni (one who follows the path of truth) Ram. Navneet Rana, whose base itself is built on falsehood, is doing politics over the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa and the entire BJP plays to the gallery,” the editorial claimed.

Taking a dig at the Centre, the Marathi publication said there is an offer floating around to speak anything bad about the Thackeray government and get central forces’ security cover.

The Centre recently provided Navneet Rana a VIP security cover.