Sena (UBT) slams BJP for ‘Aurangzeb’ jibe in Parbhani mayor poll, cites its tie-ups with AIMIM

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Jadhav on Thursday hit back at the BJP's ''Aurangzeb'' jibe over the Parbhani mayoral poll, saying the saffron party should not impart lessons about Hindutva as it had joined hands with the AIMIM in two municipal councils. The BJP criticised the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) for nominating party corporator Syed Iqbal for the mayor's post in the Parbhani Municipal Corporation, accusing it of ignoring Marathi 'manoos' (Marathi people). Iqbal was elected the new Mayor of Parbhani city in central Maharashtra on Thursday with support from the Congress, defeating his BJP rival Tirumala Khillare by a comfortable margin of 13 votes. Following the election, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban said, ''Uddhav Thackeray is taking forward the agenda of Aurangzeb in Parbhani. They take the name of Marathi manoos before elections, but when the time comes to install a Mayor, they field a Muslim candidate.'' Reacting to the accusation, Parbhani MP Jadhav on Thursday pointed out that the BJP had struck an alliance with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and other parties in the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district and in the Achalpur Municipal Council in Amravati. ''We did not join hands with AIMIM as the BJP did in Akot and Achalpur. So it (the BJP) should not give us lessons on Hindutva. Whenever there was a need to take a stand for Hindutva, Bal Thackeray's Shiv Sainiks took to the streets, while they (the BJP) were sitting at home. If they invoke Aurangzeb against us, should we call them Afzal Khan (a general killed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj), as they went with the AIMIM in Akot and Achalpur?'' he said. He claimed that the AIMIM was the BJP's B team, which they were using in the name of Hindutva. ''The Muslim community helped the Shiv Sena UBT in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. They helped us twice, but did not help the AIMIM, as they identified this party as the BJP's B team. So we gave them the post of mayor. Next time, when a new mayor has to be elected, we will nominate a Hindu candidate,'' he said.