Chief Uddhav Thackeray asserted on Sunday that he had been served a notice by the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding the removal of the phrases "Jai Bhavani" and "Hindu" from his party's new anthem. However, he firmly declared his refusal to comply with this directive.
During a press briefing, Thackeray denounced the demand to eliminate "Jai Bhavani" from the anthem, viewing it as a slight against Maharashtra.
Thackeray elaborated that his party had introduced an anthem to promote its new electoral symbol, the "mashal" (flaming torch), and the ECI had insisted on excising the words "Hindu" and "Jai Bhavani" from it.
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established Hindavi Swaraj with the blessings of goddess Tulja Bhavani. We are not seeking votes in the name of the goddess or Hinduism. This demand is disrespectful and will not be tolerated," Thackeray asserted.
The Sena UBT chief vowed to persist in uttering "Jai Bhavani" and "Jai Shivaji" at his public gatherings.
"If the electoral body takes action against us, they must explain their stance when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Karnataka assembly elections, urged people to chant Jai Bajrang Bali and vote for the BJP. Amit Shah urged voters to support the BJP to receive free darshan of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya," he emphasized.
Thackeray's party, the Shiv Sena (UBT), sought clarification from the ECI on whether there had been amendments to the laws permitting solicitation of votes in the name of religion, he disclosed.
"The electoral body has not responded to our correspondence or the subsequent reminder. In our reminder, we conveyed that if the laws have indeed been altered, we will also incorporate 'Har Har Mahadev' into our election rallies," Thackeray added. He recounted how his father, Balasaheb Thackeray, was disenfranchised and disqualified from contesting elections for six years for advocating Hindutva during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure as prime minister.
Additionally, the party sought clarification from the ECI on whether the speeches delivered by PM Modi and Amit Shah during the recent assembly elections, invoking religion, constituted "corrupt practice" under the Representation of People Act, he alleged.
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