Shiv Sena MP Arvind Ganpat Sawant is a familiar name in India’s political circles. The politician who represents the coveted Mumbai constituency says he is essentially a social worker. Deeply and keenly aware of the perils of the dynamics of divisiveness in politics today, the parliamentarian spoke to The Statesman’s Dola Mitra in an exclusive interview.
Q. What are your thoughts on the INDIA alliance’s decision to support the Government of India as far as Pahalgam is concerned?
A. This is not the time for politicisation and publicity-seeking. This is the reason the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackarey party has declared unequivocal support to the Government of India. There have been attempts to politicize and publicize the issue of Pahalgam, which is extremely disturbing and disrupting at a time when there needs to be complete unity in the country. There are many questions that come to mind, but this is not the time to raise them. Questions about security and intelligence are being asked, but is this the time to raise those questions?
No, it is not. Now is the time for the entire country to stand together against the enemy. That is the meaning of Hindustani culture. What happened in Pahalgam is extremely disturbing. It is difficult to believe that this is actually happening in the country. The issue is compounded by the complete lack of clarity that is emanating from conflicting accounts. According to some reports, people had been individually asked about which religion they belonged to and whether they were Hindus, while others refuted these claims. For instance, Syed Adil Hussain Shah, the pony ride operator, sacrificed his life trying to save the tourists irrespective of whether they were Hindus or Muslims. He belonged to the same religion as the alleged perpetrators but that did not stop him from laying down his life while saving people of another religion. This is India.
Q. Could you talk about your party’s stance on the course of action?
A. As far as the Shiv Sena is concerned, it believes in taking a very tough stance on terrorists. Balasaheb Thackeray used to always say….in Marathi…. ‘Mujhe Mandir mein ghanta bajanewale Hindu nahi chahaiye. Aatankvadiyon ki bajanewale Hindu chahiye’ (I do not want those Hindus who only go to the temple and ring bells ….I want those Hindus who will ring the death knell of the terrorists) That is real Hindutva. It is a patriotic idea, not a religious one. But today we see that Hindutva has become associated with religion instead of patriotism. Patriotism is about defending all Hindustanis which includes the people of every religion who made this country their home. When this land was divided, there were so many Muslims who refused to go to Pakistan. They said, ‘We would rather die than leave our country.’ They stayed here and were ready to fight for this country and lay down their lives for this country. How can you forget them? They demonstrated the true meaning of a Hindustani.
Q. Why do you think this meaning of Hindutva got lost?
A. We need to embrace our differences. Instead of letting it divide us, we need to let it unite us. Yes, of course there will be fights. There will be disagreements and debates, quarrels and squabbles. As long as there are humans, there will be discord. There cannot be perfect harmony. In whichever country you go to you will find protests, demonstrations, fights. You cannot do away with it. But to what extent should the fighting go? And at what cost? Patriotism has to be felt.
Q. Several conflicting accounts have emanated from Kashmir after the Pahalgam incident. People on social media cast aspersions on the locals claiming that there was a great deal of tacit support for disruptive activities. Your comment.
A. I have visited Kashmir four or five times and never faced any situation of hostility. I went there even before I became an MLA, MLC and MP. I went with friends and family and stayed there and experienced the famous Kashmiriyat or Jamuriat, the warmth and hospitality that they are known for. Now on the question of Hindu, Muslim or any other religion or race, isn’t it just a matter of chance that we were born into it? How is it that people do not see that? If they see the truth of this, how can they fight amongst each other?
Q. What is your and your party’s view on the abrogation of Article 370 (in 2019)?
A. I totally support the abrogation of Article 370. Balasahab Thackeray used to say that there should be oneness and Kashmiris should come to the mainstream. He had said there should be no appeasement of any one group. We are all equal. We may be different but equal. The only people for whom there should be special treatment are the poor, the deprived. It is an economic consideration. The poor, the needy, the helpless, they have to be given special status for their improvement and uplift. It should not be based on religion, caste, creed but economic need.
Q. After Balasahab Thackeray, who do you think is the visionary in the Shiv Sena to lead the party forward?
A. We were lucky to have Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister of Maharashtra for he saved the lives of millions of people in Maharashtra during the Covid pandemic. The dedicated performance he has shown during the pandemic was outstanding. He created a fully air-conditioned hospital of 2,000 beds in 15 days equipped with an operation theatre at Bandra. He created a task force of expert doctors, involved family doctors, created a task force for paediatric care, and procured ambulances. He has received accolades from the New York Times, WHO, the Supreme Court and NITI Aayog, among others. The entire Maharashtra called him Kutumb Pramukh (chief of the family). And about Aditya Thackeray, his ideas on environment and especially education for the poor is phenomenal. Can you imagine that he has introduced the system of imparting CBSE and ICSE education in Mumbai public schools free of cost so that the poor too would have access to the same education as their wealthier counterparts without having to pay the fees?
The poor have access to the same syllabi, the same education as the rest. This is going to have an immense impact on the quality of education as far as future generations are concerned. He has brilliant ideas for the improvement of life. And yet he remains grounded. An example of his humility and integrity is how he went down to Juhu Beach and started cleaning it, clearing trash and removing garbage on his own. People didn’t do anything about the problem of the dirty beach for years. There are only complaints. But he did what had to be done. There were no cameras or media following him. He was not doing it for show. He was just doing it on his own. He is someone who believes in solutions and does something to achieve those solutions like Balasaheb Thackeray.