Nagpur: BJP’s Sandeep Joshi, a former MLC and ex-Nagpur mayor, on Thursday hit back at Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut over the party’s invitation to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for the July 18 Ram Raksha programme in Nagpur, calling it a political gimmick and telling Raut not to preach Hindutva to Fadnavis. It is Joshi who is spearheading an event to mark Fadnavis’ birthday on July 22 at a ground adjoining the temple, which UBT had been eyeing to accommodate their party workers.In a letter to Raut, Joshi said inviting Fadnavis to the recitation was an attempt to give a Ram-devotion certificate to someone who did not need one. “Trying to give a certificate of Ram-devotion to Devendra Fadnavis, who has lived Hindutva through his actions all his life and consistently took a firm stand for the Ram temple, is purely a political joke,” he said.Joshi asked Raut to introspect on his own party’s record before lecturing others on Hindutva. “Our Hindutva does not wake up only for elections. Our Hindutva does not change colour with circumstances. For us, saffron is not just a flag, it is a thought, a value system and a way of life,” he said.He then invoked a past remark by Raut to question his credentials on the issue. “Those who made the objectionable statement that they call people who chant Jai Shri Ram scoundrels, and who insulted Ram devotees, with what face are they now handing out invitations for Ram Raksha recitation? Faith is not a publicity gimmick, it shows through conduct,” Joshi said.Terming the andolan an exercise in political survival, Joshi said the initiative looked more like political rehabilitation than devotion. “More than the protection of Ram, what is visible today is the scramble to protect your party’s political existence,” he said, adding that before inviting the chief minister, Raut should first ensure his own party chief could recite the stotra properly.“Do politics by all means, but do not use Shri Ram’s name as a tool to preserve your political existence. The people of Maharashtra now recognise the difference between showy Hindutva and true Hindutva,” Joshi said.
