New Delhi: The controversy over Aurangzeb has brought BJP and Shiv Sena closer in Maharashtra. While in Bihar it is creating a rift between BJP and Janata Dal (United). In Maharashtra, BJP and Shiv Sena showed solidarity against the remarks of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Abu Azmi, while in Bihar, the statements of some JD(U) leaders raised questions on BJP’s strategy.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde demanded a sedition case against Azmi for praising Aurangzeb. Azmi said in his clarification that his words were presented in a distorted manner, but still if anyone is hurt then he withdraws his statement. Despite this, BJP and Shiv Sena continued to capitalize on this issue, which strengthened their hold among Hindutva supporters.
At the same time, JD(U) MLC Khalid Anwar in Bihar did not call Aurangzeb a cruel ruler, to which BJP leaders expressed strong objection. BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur called Anwar a traitor and demanded his expulsion from the House and even sending him to Pakistan. BJP ministers also raised the issue and advocated changing the names of cities. However, JD(U) officially supported the statement of its MLC. Spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said that in a democracy, everyone has the right to express their views. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wants to maintain distance from BJP’s Hindutva politics and his priority is to secure the Muslim vote bank.
Political experts believe that the alliance of BJP and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra can become stronger on the issue of Hindutva, while this difference of opinion between BJP and JD(U) in Bihar points to a new strategy in the upcoming assembly elections. BJP wants to establish its foothold in Bihar by promoting Hindutva politics, while JD(U) is giving priority to social harmony. Parties like RJD and AIMIM have also jumped into the controversy to woo the Muslim vote bank of Bihar. RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui and AIMIM chief Akhtarul Iman accused the BJP of politicising history.
