Due to BJP, India faced embarrassment at international level: Uddhav Thackeray

On Wednesday Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray stated that because of the BJP India had to face an embarrassing situation at the international level as it was brought to its knees and was forced to apologise by the Arab countries over the controversial remarks made by the BJP party spokesperson on Prophet MohammadAddressing a rally in Aurangabad Thackeray attacked BJP saying that while inflation is on the rise and the rupee is on a downward slide the focus is to find under which mosque there is a ShivlingThackeray also slammed the Centre over the recent targeted killings in Kashmir and said instead of harassing the leaders of Maharashtras ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA through the probing agencies Central Bureau of Investigation CBI and the Enforcement Directorate ED raids should be conducted thereOn the controversial comments made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma against Prophet Mohammad Maharashtras CM Thackeray said The Middle East and the Arab countries brought our country to its knees and forced to apologise What led to this India has to apologise What has the country done It is the BJP and its spokespersons that have committed the crimeThe words spoken by the BJP spokesperson or BJP as a political party cannot be the stand of India on any issue The words of BJP spokesperson used for Prophet Mohammad tarnished Indias image at the International level It damaged the image of my country and not that of the BJP he addedThere are political differences between us Shiv Sena and BJP but he Narendra Modi is our countrys prime minister His photo was stuck on garbage bins in some country and we keep seeing it But why should the country apologise for it when the mistake is done by BJP and its spokesperson Thackeray addedThe BJP on Sunday suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi unit media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after a row over their alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad escalated with protests from some Muslim countries Sharmas comments made in a TV debate nearly recently and Jindals nowdeleted tweets sparked a Twitter trend calling for a boycott of Indian products in some Arab countriesAlso Read Nupur Sharma hate speech row AlQaeda warns of attacks in Delhi Mumbai Uttar Pradesh and GujaratI want to ask RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat whether he had expected this kind of behaviour of BJP seen today Thackeray saidDuring his speech Thacekray targeted the BJP over various issues ranging from Hindutva to inflation and the controversial statements made by BJP spokespersonsInflation is rising rupee is declining but our worry is Shivling lying beneath which mosque what is under the Taj Mahal what is under the Gyanvapi masjid he said at a rally that was attended by the top leaders of the partyWhat have we done to say that we have deserted Hindutva Lets debate what Shiv Sena has done for Hindutva and BJP has done for it he saidHe said had his father late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray not taken the responsibility and said that if the Shiv Sainiks had demolished Babri he was proud of it or had he not backed Kashmiri Pandits and roared when Amarnath Yatra was under attack then would BJP have risen to power in the name of HindutvaAsserting that the Shiv Sena was not hollow Hindutvavdi to take lessons of Hindutva from the BJP Thackeray recalled that during the Ayodhya movement there was slogan Whoever who thinks about the welfare of Hindus will rule the country and asked whether the BJP which is in power thinking about the welfare of HindusHe also welcomed the statements made by RSS chief who said that there was no need to find Shivling in every mosqueThacekray attacked Amravatis Independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana who was arrested in April after they insisted on reciting Hanuman Chalisa outside Thackerays private residence MatoshreeIf you have the guts then go to Kashmir and recite Hanuman Chalisa Our Hindutva is not impotent If you are a man then protect the Kashmir Pandits If you have the guts then go there he saidIt makes one angry that the Kashmiri Pandits are leaving the Valley and no one is ready to speak for them Did any single spokesperson of BJP speak on this issue he askedBJP never saw Hindu festivals while doing agitations or doing Bharat Bandh because they indulged in politics alone But late Shiv Sena supremo never did thisEarlier when petrol prices went up even by seven paise former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee once went to Parliament in a bullock cart We are looking for that BJP today he saidTargetting senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis for his remark that while he was there when the Babri structure was pulled down in Ayodhya nobody from the Shiv Sena was present thereSena earlier was speaking to make a special law and construct Ram Mandir but you didnt show that courage Judgement came from the court so the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is being erected that too with peoples money Thackeray saidwith inputs from PTI