The transformation of Shiv Sena is finally complete.
From starting off being a party that defended Hindu interests, Shiv Sena is now using racially charged epithets that are more commonly used by terrorists to mock the community. Speaking at Shiv Sena’s annual Dusshera rally, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said that they BJP had ‘stuffed goumutra’ and cow dung into their mouths, and which was causing them to speak against his government. He added that the BJP’s words would have had no effect. As Uddhav Thackeray uttered these words, son Aditya Thackeray, who was also on stage, could be seen applauding.
But while Shiv Sena has been openly disparaging its former alliance partner for a while, what’s more concerning is the language that Uddhav Thackeray used today evening. The goumutra jibe is often used by radical Islamists to mock Hindus. Most famously, the jibe had been uttered by Pulwama bomber Adil Dar. In a video message, he’d referred to Hindus as “Gae ka Peshab Peene Wale”, or cow piss drinkers.
The jibe is thought to be highly offensive, and has even caused people to lose their jobs. Last year, Furkan Khan, a producer with American broadcaster NPR, had lost her job after she’d referred to Hindus as ‘piss drinkers’ and ‘dung worshippers.’ “If Indians give up Hinduism, they will solve most of their problems, what will all the piss drinking and the dung worshiping,” she’d tweeted. Her tweet had been met with instant outrage, and Khan parted ways with her employer immediately after.
But the democratically-elected Chief Minister of Maharashtra has now uttered the same words, and at a Dusshera celebration event no less. The latest remarks show just how far Shiv Sena has steered from its initial mandate — after allying with the Congress and the NCP, Shiv Sena appears to be trying to even outdo the other parties in attempting to disfranchise and denigrate its former votebank. And there’s probably no coming back from racially-charged epithets — the goumutra jibe shows that Shiv Sena has abandoned Maharashtra’s Hindus for good.
