Lok Sabha Elections 2024: MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Friday (May 10) claimed that ‘fatwas’ are being issued from mosques to vote for Congress and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena UBT and said that he, too, is issuing a ‘fatwa’ that the Hindu community should cast their vote in favour of the candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections. His remarks came while addressing a poll rally in Pune where he was to campaign for the BJP candidate Murlidhar Mohol. Thackeray’s party is not contesting the general elections but extending support to the ruling alliance in the state.
The MNS chief’s statement comes as Maria Alam, a Samajwadi Party leader and the niece of senior Congress leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, asked the Muslims to do 'vote jihad' in order to defeat the BJP, thus erupting a political storm.
What did Raj Thackeray say?
He claimed that ‘fatwas’ are being issued from Muslim localities and mosques that all Muslim communities should help and vote for the Congress candidates.
“There are many Muslims who are intelligent, who have brains, they will not follow their (Maulanas’) path. They understand what politics is going on. Today there are elections, so you are issuing fatwas.. After all, what do you think of the Muslim community? Are these the sheep and goats of your house? They (Muslims) are also understanding what is happening and who is using them,” he claimed.
“During the elections, ‘fatwas’ are being issued that vote for Congress, and Uddhav Thackeray. If these maulvis are issuing ‘fatwas’ from mosques that vote for them, then Raj Thackeray is issuing ‘fatwa’ today, my all Hindu brothers, sisters and mothers, vote enthusiastically for Murlidhar Mohol or the candidates of BJP, Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar group,” Thackeray said.
He further claimed that such ‘fatwas’ are being issued to vote for Congress as they have not been able to raise their heads in the last 10 years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
“This movement of many people to vote for Congress... Why is this happening? Because for the last 10 years these people (radicals) have not been able to raise their heads,” he claimed.
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