Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said he has received a notice from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to remove the words "Ja Bhavani" and "Hindu" from his party's new song, but he is not following it. do. through this.
Addressing a press conference here, Thackeray said the demand to remove the words 'Jai Bhavani' from the national anthem is an insult to Maharashtra.
Thackeray said his party has come up with an anthem to popularize its new election symbol 'Mashal' (burning torch) and the ECI has asked to remove the words 'Hindu' and 'Jai Bhavani' from it.
Thackeray said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established Hindavi Swaraj with the blessings of Goddess Tulja Bhavani.We are not asking for votes in the name of the goddess of Hindu religion. This is an insult and will not be tolerated.”
The Army UBT chief said he would continue the practice of saying "Jai Bhavani and "Jai Shivaji" in his public meetings.
“If the Election Commission takes action against us, they will have to tell us what Prime Minister Narendra Modi did when he asked people to say Jai Bajrang Bali and press the button on EVMs while campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections. Amit Shah had asked people to vote for BJP to provide free darshan of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.,
"Shiv Sena (UBT) has asked the Election Commission whether the laws have been changed and it is now okay to seek votes in the name of religion," he said.
"The election body has not responded to our letter and the reminder we sent. In the reminder, we had said that if the laws are changed, we will also say 'Har Ha Mahadev' in our election rallies."
The former chief minister said his father Balasaheb Thackeray was barred from voting and contesting elections for six years because he had campaigned for Hindutva when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister.
He claimed that the party had also asked the Election Commission to clarify whether the speeches made by PM Modi and Amit Shah invoking religion during the recent assembly elections were "corrupt practices" (under the Representation of the People Act).
Addressing a press conference here, Thackeray said the demand to remove the words 'Jai Bhavani' from the national anthem is an insult to Maharashtra.
Thackeray said his party has come up with an anthem to popularize its new election symbol 'Mashal' (burning torch) and the ECI has asked to remove the words 'Hindu' and 'Jai Bhavani' from it.
Thackeray said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established Hindavi Swaraj with the blessings of Goddess Tulja Bhavani.We are not asking for votes in the name of the goddess of Hindu religion. This is an insult and will not be tolerated.”
The Army UBT chief said he would continue the practice of saying "Jai Bhavani and "Jai Shivaji" in his public meetings.
“If the Election Commission takes action against us, they will have to tell us what Prime Minister Narendra Modi did when he asked people to say Jai Bajrang Bali and press the button on EVMs while campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections. Amit Shah had asked people to vote for BJP to provide free darshan of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.,
"Shiv Sena (UBT) has asked the Election Commission whether the laws have been changed and it is now okay to seek votes in the name of religion," he said.
"The election body has not responded to our letter and the reminder we sent. In the reminder, we had said that if the laws are changed, we will also say 'Har Ha Mahadev' in our election rallies."
The former chief minister said his father Balasaheb Thackeray was barred from voting and contesting elections for six years because he had campaigned for Hindutva when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister.
He claimed that the party had also asked the Election Commission to clarify whether the speeches made by PM Modi and Amit Shah invoking religion during the recent assembly elections were "corrupt practices" (under the Representation of the People Act).
