Taking a swipe at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ remarks over ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ even as a grim spectre of drought looms over the state, ruling ally Shiv Sena on Thursday said people should be able to live first to chant the slogan.
‘It would have been better if he (Fadnavis) would have given a war cry that he would give drinking water in homes, in each village of Maharashtra or will leave the CM’s post,’ said an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana.
‘One will have to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, but to say that people need to be alive first,’ it quipped.
‘At present, the politics over ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ is in full force. ‘Let my chief minister’s chair go, but I will chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, is a good call by the CM. But the children of ‘Bharat Mata’ are roaming all over for water, are harried, incidents have gone to the extent of seeking each other’s blood,’ it said.
Reminding that youth take to Naxalism and pick up arms against ‘injustice’, the Sena asked, ‘Will the youth of Marathwada for the sake of a sip of water take up arms and become terrorists?’
‘If that happens, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ will have no meaning. If the people are happy then ‘Bharat Mata’ will be happy,’ it said.
The Shiv Sena said that the jai (victory) of ‘Bharat Mata’ is jai of the people, but they do not have a sip of water, cattle are withering to death and fields are turning into burial grounds.
‘Then if anyone stands in such fields and raises nationalist slogans, ‘Bharat Mata’ will not be thrilled and rise up,’ it said.
‘This is not the Maharashtra of the dreams of ‘Bharat Mata’. Chief minister, sit on your chair and give water to Maharashtra,’ it exhorted.
