Mumbai, March 19: Amid the clamour for the demolition of Aurangzeb’s grave, Shiv Sena(UBT) on Wednesday attacked the BJP, saying that it nowadays considers the Mughal emperor more important than Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s rule was based on religion and it was about taking everyone along. This idea was not acceptable to the BJP earlier and is not acceptable even now. Actually, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj were never symbols of the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the BJP. Now they are saying ‘Jai Shivaji’, and ‘Jai Sambhaji’ as per convenience. Therefore, Aurangzeb is BJP’s new Shivaji,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ editorial

“No one will glorify Aurangzeb in Maharashtra. Here only Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be hailed. Therefore, after the release of the film ‘Chhavaa’, organisations like RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and neo-Hindutva elements of BJP showed political fury against Aurangzeb’s grave and spoiled the atmosphere of Maharashtra. Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal threatened to protest demanding complete destruction of Aurangzeb’s grave. They announced the plan to start Kar Seva to remove the tomb. They are comparing Aurangzeb’s grave with Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid. These people are saying that like Babri, Aurangzeb’s grave will also be destroyed,” the editorial reads.

“For this, these people have started gathering spades, shovels, crowbars, JCBs, bulldozers. This is just a plain drama. There is no need to do this drama to remove Aurangzeb’s grave. Aurangzeb is under the grave and he will never get up and come out. The grave is currently being protected by the central security forces. Since this grave is under the Archaeological Survey of India, their father is sitting in the Delhi Centre. The Centre should immediately remove this security and withdraw the status of the protected monument given to the grave so that this land will be freed and the possibility of conflict will end. There will also be no need for Kar Seva here,” says Saamana

The editorial says, “At the time of Babri Masjid, there was a Congress government at the Centre. Kalyan Singh’s BJP government was in Uttar Pradesh. That is why there was conflict. Today, there is Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and CM Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra. Both are from the BJP. Also, Fadnavis has the experience of Kar Seva in Ayodhya. Therefore, PM Modi, CM Fadnavis, Mohan Bhagwat, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, these five people should dig Aurangzeb’s grave under government orders with spades in their hands. This will stop riots in Maharashtra and calm the minds of fanatics,” reads the editorial while taking a swipe at the BJP and RSS.”

“It has been seen time and again that Chief Minister Fadnavis only gives speeches but does not actually take any concrete action. Riots broke out in Nagpur over Aurangzeb’s grave. There were attacks on the police. Incidents of arson took place in Nagpur. Nagpur has a history of 300 years. There have never been riots in these 300 years. So why has this controversy erupted now? Fadnavis says that these rioters were outsiders. What were the police doing until the outside rioters came to the city and created a ruckus? Were the Home Ministry’s informers sleeping?”

Voicing concern over the crimes taking place in the state, the Shiv Sena(UBT) mouthpiece writes, “The series of extortion and murders in Beed has not ended. Riots also took place in Parbhani. Neo-Hindutvaists sparked riots at the festival of Holi in Konkan. State ministers give speeches that increase religious hatred and the Home Minister is sitting idle. This is not called governing a state.”

Further stepping up attacks against BIP, the editorial says, “Therefore, the villain Aurangzeb, who Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj fought against and buried in Maharashtra, has to be eliminated first along with his grave. If the villain is eliminated, the ‘hero’ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj will also be eliminated automatically, this is their trick.”

“In the Lok Sabha, BJP MP from Bargarh, Odisha, Pradeep Purohit publicly said, ‘Our Shivaji is Modi. Modi was Chhatrapati Shivaji in his previous life.’ So now the BJP has given birth to a new Shivaji and for this, they have a plan to eliminate the original Shivaji. Then if Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is to be eliminated, first Aurangzeb’s grave will have to be demolished. Meaning history will be destroyed automatically. This is exactly what is seen happening in Maharashtra,” claims the editorial.

“The glorification that is being done by declaring PM Modi as Chhatrapati Shivaji is terrible. Do Chhatrapati’s descendants Udayanraje Bhosale (Shrimant) and Shivendraraje Bhosale (Shrimant) approve of Modi’s glorification of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?” Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj brought unity to Maharashtra. Today Maharashtra is divided and burning in the name of religion. If you find a copy of the Quran anywhere, return it with respect, this is what Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s order letter says. But in Nagpur, verses from the Quran were burned. In Rajapur, an attempt was made to incite riots by throwing Holi wood in the mosque. Arson in the name of Aurangzeb started in Maharashtra. Aurangzeb buried 400 years ago, has been brought back to life again. Because a new ‘Shivaji’ is growing in the ‘stomach’ of the BJP. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, please forgive us,” says the editorial.