The controversial remarks about Sanatan Dharma made by Sharad Pawar-led NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad were strongly condemned by leaders of the BJP-led Mahayuti ruling alliance on Monday.
Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Tourism, Mining, and Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Shambhuraj Desai, said on Monday, “What Jitendra Awhad said is not acceptable to me. Sanatan Dharma is a distinct ideology that advocates harmony and tolerance. What he said is totally wrong.”
On Sunday, Awhad had said, “Sanatan Dharma has ruined India. There was never any religion called Sanatan dharma. We are followers of Hinduism. This so-called Sanatan Dharma denied coronation to our Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It defamed our Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The followers of this Sanatan Dharma tried to murder social reformer Jyotirao Phule. They threw cow dung and filth on his wife, Savitribai Phule.”
“This Sanatan Dharma conspired to murder Shahu Maharaj. It didn’t even allow Dr BR Ambedkar to drink water or attend school. It was Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar who finally stood up against Sanatan Dharma, burnt the Manusmriti, and rejected its oppressive traditions. The author of Manusmriti came from this Sanatani tradition.”
Reacting to the remarks, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC said, “It has become a trend for the opposition to criticise Sanatan Dharma. Their claim that Sanatan Dharma is a distorted ideology separate from Hinduism reflects their ignorance. By making such absurd remarks, they are perpetuating caste oppression and social exclusion.”
BJP leader Ram Kadam said that Awhad’s statements reflect an “incomplete understanding of Hindu scriptures.”
“The statement by a leader of Sharad Pawar’s party is based on an incomplete study of Hindu scriptures. Are you defaming Sanatan Dharma? Will you now do this for political gain? It is unfortunate that he (Awhad) is making such statements solely for the sake of appeasement politics,” Kadam remarked.
Several other BJP leaders also condemned Awhad’s anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks.
Maharashtra BJP state unit chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye told reporters on Monday, “After the court debunked the false narrative of saffron terrorism, those following the Congress culture have resumed propaganda targeting Sanatan Hinduism. This shows they are prepared to erase the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Those who follow Congress ideology but wear the mask of Hindutva have now exposed themselves by participating in the conspiracy to label Sanatan Dharma as terrorist.”
Upadhye further questioned whether Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who identifies as a Hindutva supporter, endorsed Awhad’s anti-Sanatan remarks.
“After the court rejected the conspiracy by Congress and Sharad Pawar to falsely implicate Hindutva activists in the Malegaon blast case, a new narrative is being peddled — this time under the guise of ‘Sanatani terrorism’, fronted by MLA Jitendra Awhad. The Congress has forgotten that Sanatan Dharma represents India’s ancient and tolerant social system, which Mahatma Gandhi also followed,” he said.
Citing an article written by Mahatma Gandhi in Young India in October 1921, Upadhye said, “Sanatan Dharma is the culture of India that has gifted the world the value of tolerance. Gandhi wrote in 1921: ‘I consider myself an orthodox Hindu and I have strong faith in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, and all the Hindu scriptures.’”
Upadhye also criticised Uddhav Thackeray, accusing him of hypocrisy.
“Why has Uddhav Thackeray, who once claimed to be proud of Hindutva, now gone silent? Has he accepted Jitendra Awhad’s criticism of Sanatan Dharma? We strongly condemn the Congress culture and Uddhav Thackeray, who has bowed before it and accepted the anti-Hindu rhetoric of Jitendra Awhad,” Upadhye concluded.