Devendra Fadnavis on Muslims in India: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that a nationalist Muslim in India does not 'approve of Aurangzeb', while also adding that no person belonging to the religion is a descendant of the Mughal Emperor.
Fadnavis stressed that there is only one king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and said that the Muslims who do not 'approve of Aurangzeb' respect only the Maratha ruler.
"Our king is only Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We cannot have another king. Muslims in India are not descendants of Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb and his clan came from outside. A Muslim in this country who has national ideas never approves of Aurangzeb. He respects only Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," Fadnavis said while addressing a public rally in Maharashtra's Akola.
The rally was organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party to mark the completion of nine years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
Taking to Twitter, Fadnavis said that the mass gathering showed that the people of the state have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"This mass gathering in the Modi@9, shows the faith of the public towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, MLA Praveen Darekar, MLA Randhir Savarkar, MLA Akash Phundkar, Chainsukh Sancheti ji, senior leaders of Akola and thousands of brothers and sisters were present with me," he tweeted.
Tensions earlier simmered in Kolhapur
Tensions had simmered in Maharashtra's Kolhapur on June 8 after some people allegedly put up objectionable posts on social media in connection with Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan.
"Suddenly, in some districts of Maharashtra, sons of Aurangzeb took birth. They keep the status of Aurangzeb and show their posters. Because of this, there are tensions. Questions arise, where do these sons of Aurangzeb come from? Who are behind this? We will find this out," Fadnavis earlier said.
Shiv Sena foundation day today
For the first time after the split of Shiv Sena last year, both factions will celebrate the party's foundation day today, as part of which they will organise events at separate venues in Mumbai. Both Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray factions are likely to indulge in verbal duels to stake claim as the real inheritor of the outfit founded by late Bal Thackeray.
The events of both the groups will take place at separate places in Mumbai with Shinde-led Shiv Sena organising its event at NESCO ground in Goregaon in the northwestern part of the city while Shiv Sena (UBT) organising its event in Shanmukhanand Hall at Sion in central Mumbai.
(With ANI inputs)
ALSO READ | Maharashtra: First Shiv Sena foundation day on June 19 post-party's split last year; verbal duel likely
ALSO READ | All doors of BJP closed for Uddhav Thackeray: Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule
