Mumbai, Sep 22
Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday lashed out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for branding Rahul Gandhi an “Urban Naxal,” accusing him of speaking in a confused tone and using the term to silence dissent.
In an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp said Fadnavis’ remarks came after Gandhi accused the electoral system of corruption and vote-rigging, citing how Nepal’s youth rose to overthrow a corrupt regime to save democracy.
"Fadnavis' statements clearly show a confused mindset. If Gandhi is an urban Naxal, what should be said about India's current foreign policy leaning towards 'Maoism'?" asked the Thackeray camp in the editorial.
Shiv Sena (UBT) expressed serious concern that the Constitution and democracy are under threat under the BJP-led government at the Centre, as those who speak out on the issues are branded as 'urban Naxals', which makes people afraid to speak out due to fear and intimidation.
It took a dig at the BJP, Modi, and Fadnavis, who were never part of the freedom struggle. "Had they been, they would have labeled the Quit India movement and the Non-Cooperation Movement as 'Urban Naxal' campaigns."
“Mao's country is China, where Mao's influence still prevails. If it is true that China is still guided by Mao's ideas, then why is Prime Minister Modi joining hands with Mao's China after President Trump's criticism? Will Prime Minister Modi also call Foreign Minister Jaishankar a Maoist and urban Naxal for engaging with China?" asked the Thackeray camp.
"Mao's China has now become India's friend, and the BJP's foreign policy pundits are hailing China day and night. One communist regime after another has collapsed in Europe and the world, but China's communist regime is strong. Ministers who commit corruption are made to disappear there, and vote-stealing and vote-buying are not tolerated there. Revolutionary ideas are instilled in the minds of Maoists, and when such revolutionaries take up arms, they become Naxalites," said Thackeray camp.
According to the editorial, farmers from Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh took to the streets for their demands and sat on the Delhi border, braving heat, cold, and rain to get the four black laws repealed. "Thousands of farmers died during the agitation. The BJP was already making a fuss at that time that terrorists and Naxalites had infiltrated this movement. Therefore, it is no surprise that Fadnavis is calling the protest against vote theft an urban Naxal movement," taunted the Thackeray camp.
The editorial further said, "Mao's stance was that the country's wealth should not be in the hands of a single person or group. But in India today, the nation’s resources are concentrated in one or two corporate houses. Prime Minister Modi is also throwing public wealth into the pockets of these same people. Chief Minister Fadnavis himself gave Maharashtra's forest wealth, mines, mountains, forests, land plots in Mumbai, and other projects to one or two people who are close to the BJP. There is anger in the hearts of the people against this. When people rise against this, they are silenced with cries of 'Mao' and 'Urban Naxal'," claimed the editorial.
Thackeray camp said that the BJP used the emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi to target the opposition. "However, it forgets that leaders like Charan Singh, Jayaprakash Narayan, and others had incited the police and army not to follow the government's orders. George Fernandes, who strongly opposed the emergency, was connected to the Baroda dynamite case. So should all of them also be called 'Urban Naxals'?" it asked.
Thackeray camp claimed that the fear in the minds of the rulers that the young class in India will rebel like Nepal and overthrow their empire is clearly visible. That is why the government is resorting to intimidation and threats. But the real question is -- has this regime become more afraid of the people than the people are of the government?” it further asked.
