Uddhav Sena’s Love Affair With Muslims Goes Awry, Party Chief Called Traitor

Muslims in Maharashtra are miffed with the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) a constituent of the Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) – coalition of opposition parties, over the party’s inconspicuous stance on the Waqf Amendment Bill introduced by the Union Government.

The disenchantment of the minority community with the MVA constituent became evident after several Muslim individuals gathered in large numbers outside Matoshree – Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s residence in Mumbai on Saturday (June 10).

Protestants expressed their anger against the party by calling party chief Thackeray ‘cheater’ and a ‘traitor’ as his party’s Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha chose to walk out while other opposition party MPs like those from Congress and the Samajwadi Party, chose to stay in the parliament to oppose the Bill.

“Thackeray’s party won nine seats in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on the strong backing of our (that is, Muslim) votes. He and his party members came to our localities seeking our votes and now when they should have stood by us and opposed the Waqf Amendment Bill being pushed by the centre, they chose to run away.

“We are feeling cheated (by Shiv Sena UBT). Uddhav Thackeray is a traitor,” a protestor said to regional news channel Pudhari.

“We (that is, Muslims) have been always used by the political parties for votes. They (that is, Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders) came to us during the recently held general elections and tried creating a fear sentiment among us against the present day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government in the centre.

“We voted in their favour beleiving their word. Especially Thackeray had said that he will stand by us and protect our rights. Now instead of upholding his promise, his party has chosen to leave us to our fate and run away,” another protestor said.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government in the centre has sought to introduce several reforms to the 1995 Waqf Act that lays down the rules for regulation of the properties donated by individuals adhering to Islam.

Such properties along with several mosques that have been built on donated land, are governed at present by the Waqf Boards appointed by state governments across the country.

Some of the major changes suggested by the Union Government include vesting the centre with power to order audit of any Waqf by the Comptroller and Auditor General, mandatory appointment of two women members on State Waqf Boards and acquisition of any government property which has been wrongly classified as a Waqf.

At present, the Bill has been referred to a joint parliamentary committee after opposition from Congress-led INDI-Alliance in both houses of the parliament and protests from hardline Muslim organisations across the country.

Congress ally Shiv Sena UBT on the other hand has chosen to play it safe by asking it's MPs to walk out of the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Bill.

This is so because the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena which is with the BJP-led coalition, has consistently criticised the Thackeray-led rival Sena for indulging in appeasement of regressive elements within minorities and deviating from the Hindutva line of thought advocated by Balasaheb Thackeray, the founder of the undivided Shiv Sena of the past.

It is pertinent to note here that the undivided Sena of the past under Uddhav, who took party's charge after Balasaheb's death, had supported the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

This law, which was opposed by the Congress and its allies in a similar manner, was enacted to provide Indian citizenship to the Hindu and other minority refugees from the pre-dominantly Islamic Pakistan and Bangladesh.

However, while lending support to the CAA, the undivided Sena of the past under Udhhav had opposed the updating of the National Register of Citizens, which was supposed to complement the CAA. This had then raised doubts over the party's stance among the minorities as well as its pre-dominantly Hindu supporters.

On behalf of the Shiv Sena UBT, its spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut has denied the claims of Muslims being displeased with his leader and the party. Raut claimed that the protests outside party chief Thackeray’s house last week were a handiwork of the BJP ally Shinde-led rival Sena.