NEW DELHI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Eknath Shinde on Thursday took a dig at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for not attending the recently-concluded Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and said the it showed that he was scared of calling himself a Hindu. Uddhav also hit back at the deputy CM by saying that a dip in Ganga won’t wash away sin of betraying Maharashtra.
Earlier in the day Shinde had said, “Those who skipped Maha Kumbh should be asked why they skipped it. They keep saying they are Hindus. Bal Thackeray proudly gave the slogan ‘garv se kaho hum Hindu hain (proclaim it proudly that we are Hindu) but now they are scared of calling themselves a Hindu and call (Bal Thackeray) Hinduhriday Samrat.”
His remarks came in response to questions about the absence of Uddhav and Congress’s Gandhi family at Maha Kumbh.
Later in the day while speaking at a party event on the occasion of Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Diwas, Uddhav also mounted a veiled attack on the BJP saying neo-Hindutvawadis need not teach his party the importance of Lord Ram. “A dip in Ganga will not wash away the sin of betraying Maharashtra,” he said.
Considered among the holiest pilgrimages by Hindus, the Maha Kumbh started on January 13 and concluded on February 26. Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs had gone to attend the Maha Kumbh.
