Mumbai, Jul 24: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday shamelessly backed his MPs after a video footage of paty MP Rajan Vichare forcing a fasting Muslim worker to eat at Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi triggered outrage in Parliament and social media on Wednesday.
"The Opposition is making it political to target Sena", said Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
"MPs were telling him to eat food he serves. Religion was not written on the face of the caterer", Thackeray added.
Saying that the MPs revolted against mismanagement at Maharashtra Sadan, Shiv Sena, in its publication 'Saamna', said the incident was blown out of proportion and given communal colour. The mouthpiece also said that insult of 'Marathi manus' will not be tolerated.
Launching a scathing attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who promised a probe in the incident, Shiv Sena said food must be force-fed to Chavan.
The editorial says, "Even after spending a huge amount, there is no 'Maharashtra'' and 'Marathiness' in the Maharashtra Sadan at Delhi. Marathi people cannot walk in with pride. It is the history that Maharashtrians are always insulted in Delhi. If we are going to get insulting treatment even after spending so much amount, then anyone would get fury and so did we."
A day ago, Shiv Sena MPs who were involved in the act had denied allegations of forcing a Muslim catering supervisor to break his fast, but video footage grabbed by Zee Media emerged clearly showed Rajan Vichare, Sena MP from Thane, forcing the Muslim supervisor to eat a chapati.
The act had taken place when the 11 members of Parliament from Maharashtra – Sanjay Raut (Rajya Sabha), Anandrao Adsul (Amravati), Rajan Vichare (Thane), Arvind Sawant (Mumbai-South), Hemant Godse (Nashik), Krupal Tumane (Ramtek), Ravindra Gaikwad (Osmanabad), Vinayak Raut (Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Shivaji Adhalrao Patil (Shirur), Rahul Shewale (Mumbai-South Central) and Shrikant Shinde (Kalyan) – had visited Maharashtra Sadan.
The Sena further questions, "Why there is so much noise over the issue, and was the caste or religion of that supervisor written on his forehead?"
Criticising the media and politicians for creating uproar over the issue, the editorial says, "The media who were heating up the issue and the parliamentarians who were raising voices can see our act, but they don't see that the rape of a 10-year-old girl by the'maulavi' of a mosque in Afghanistan, that too in the auspicious month of Ramzan. Neither the media is speaking about this issue, nor it is being raised in the parliament. Recently, a Muslim teacher in Bangalore raped a small girl in the school even after having roza, but media is not speaking about this. This simply shows that the rape is okay, but not the chapati feeding."
"If the migrants at Maharashtra Sadan are going to consider Marathi people inferior, then the Shiv Sena will not tolerate it. The voice raised by the Shiv Sena MPs at Maharashtra Sadan is not hooliganism but an agitation against the inferior quality of service that is being provided there, even after complaining against the issues," said the editorial.
The editorial further added, "In reality, the chapati should have been force-fed to the state chief minister, PWD minister, chief secretary and Commissioner Bipin Mallick."
Attacking Congress, the editorial added, "The politicians who are giving the religions angle to suppress the corruption are digging a hole for themselves by their own hands. Tomorrow, the people of Maharashtra will bury the Congress in the same hole."
"Shiv Sena respect all religions. 'Faith' is an individual's Alma matter, but if someone is taking efforts to politicise the issue to malign Shiv Sena, then you are on the brink." The one who are politicising the issue should not forget that Shiv Sena is the prosperity of tomorrow's Maharashtra." editorial said.
The party also said that a huge amount was money was spent in building the Maharashtra Sadan, but there was nothing 'Marathi' in it. However, the NDA government on Thursday said the allegations were unsubstantiated.
A group of Shiv Sena MPs on Wednesday said a news report of them allegedly forcing a caterer at Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi to eat roti during Ramzan fast was being given "a communal colour".
They said they did not know about the IRCTC catering supervisor's religion when the said incident happened
The incident, which took place last week, was reported in The Indian Express on Wednesday.
The Shiv Sena MPs were reportedly angry at not being served Maharashtrian food.
As a result of the incident, IRCTC, which provides catering to Maharashtra Sadan, have suspended its service.
It also complained to the Maharashtra Resident Commissioner for hurting religious sentiments of the staffer, identified as Arshad Zubair S., said the report.
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