Bal Thackeray gave Maharashtra its first Brahmin CM, says Sanjay Raut on Danve's remark

Sanjay Raut. File pic

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said it was party founder late Bal Thackeray who gave Maharashtra its first Brahmin chief minister in the form of Manohar Joshi. Addressing a political rally organised in Hadapsar area of the city, Raut said it was the late party supremo who put an end to the practice of namaz being offered on roads in Mumbai and Maharashtra.

Raut was referring to the statement made by Union minister Raosaheb Danve during a rally organised by the Brahmin community in Jalna on Tuesday night, wherein he said he wishes to see a Brahmin community member as the chief minister of Maharashtra. "I read a statement of (BJP leader) Raosaheb Danve that he wants to see a Brahmin chief minister in Maharashtra. Why are you dividing the state into castes and classes? The state belongs to the bahujan samaj (masses)...the state belongs to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, to Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar and to Balasaheb Thackeray who united the Marathi manoos," Raut said.

If you want a Brahmin CM, let the people of the state decide and it is only Shiv Sena that will decide who will become the state's CM, he said. "And who are you telling this to...it was Balasaheb who gave Maharashtra its first Brahmin CM in the form of Manohar Joshi (in 1995). When people asked why a Brahmin CM is there in a state like Maharashtra, he said caste is not important, the work is important, and loyalty is important," the Sena MP said. He added that the state even had a Muslim CM - barrister Abdul Rahman Antulay - who was accepted by Bal Thackeray.

"In fact, Antulay was the dearest CM of Balasaheb. When Shiv Sena was coming to the power, Balasaheb was once asked what kind of CM he wants. He had said he wanted CM like Antulay, who could take the decision instantly and who has a good command over the administration," Raut said. Without taking the name of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who has demanded removal of loudspeakers from mosques, Raut said that politics is going on over the issue of loudspeakers and some old clips of Bal Thackeray expressing his views on loudspeakers atop mosques are being shared.

"Those people who back-stabbed him are now telling us about his thoughts and ideology," he added. Raut added that Bal Thackeray used to say in his speeches that the moment he gets the power in the state, he will stop namaz from being offered on roads. "These people have forgotten that today namaz is not offered on roads in Mumbai and Maharashtra. After the Shiv Sena came to power, Balasaheb had called a meeting of Muslim clerics and told them about his promise given to the people of Mumbai and asked them to stop the practice (of offering namaz on roads)," he said.

The Sena MP added that the clerics agreed, but told him that in the absence of enough space inside the mosque, they have to offer the Friday namaz on roads. "Balsaheb then asked the clerics what can he do to help them. The clerics sought an increase in the space of mosques. Balasaheb immediately summoned CM Manohar Joshi and Deputy CM Gopinath Munde and sought to know how space inside mosques can be increased," Raut said. "CM Joshi gave a solution that FSI of mosques needed to be increased. Balasaheb immediately asked him to increase the FSI and a decision was taken immediately. Due to this decision, the space inside mosques went up and practice of offering namaz on roads stopped," he added.

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