BJP cries 'death of Sena's Hindutva' as MP seeks naming bridge after Moinuddin Chisti

Questioning Shiv Sena's 'Hindutva' again, BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar on Sunday, alleged that Sena is now competing with Congress and Asaduddin Owaisi for Muslim vote bank. Bhatkhalkar alleged that since Sonia Gandhi stepped into 'Matoshree' (Thackeray home), Hindutva's flame has doused. Bhatkhalkar was making such a drastic comment in response to Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale to name the new Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link road after renowned Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.  

BJP laments death of Sena's Hindutva

In a letter to CM Uddhav Thackeray, Shewale forwarded the All India Ulam and Mashayak Board's demand to name the new Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link road as 'Sultan-ul-Hind Khwaja Garib Nawaz' after Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.  He pointed out that over 70% of the population between Chhedanagar and Mankhurd were Muslims and hence asked the CM to honour the community's wishes. Shewale is currently the Mumbai South Central Lok Sabha MP. 

BJP has often questioned its ex-ally Shiv Sena's 'Hindutva' since it stitched a secular three-party alliance with NCP and Congress. When CM Uddhav Thackeray said that Bhoomi Poojan at Ayodhya Ram Temple can be conducted through video-conference in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, BJP lamented 'Sena has sacrificed Hindutva'. The MVA govt had announced a 5% reservations for Muslims in schools and colleges, which had been scraped by the Fadnavis govt in 2014, but is yet to pass it. Sena has tried to regain its Hindutva identity by making passing demands to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv respectively, which has been point-blank refused by its allies NCP and Congress.

Sena & Congress-NCP

Sena has often clashed with its ideological polar opposite Congress since the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance over issues like Hindutva, CAA, NRC, Ram Janmabhoomi, Savarkar, COVID-19 etc, with NCP playing the peacemaker. Several ministers from NCP and Congress have accused Uddhav Thackeray of depending more on bureaucrats than his alliance partners, alleging that they were being 'sidelined'. Recently, Congress chief Nana Patole announced that Congress will contest all local body and assembly elections separately going forward, snubbing the MVA's plans. All three allies have maintained that the alliance is safe, but BJP has often asserted that the MVA govt will fall on its own.