Amidst sustained protests in the Country against Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens, Shiv Sena on Thursday alleged that attempts were being made to create a civil-war like situation in the country in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana.
The Shiv Sena alleged that India’s social and religious unity has ended. “Attempts are being made to escalate the dispute between Hindus and Muslims. Attempts are also being made to create anarchy and a civil war-like situation that exists in Iraq and Afghanistan,” the Shiv Sena, which leads the coalition government in Maharashtra along with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, said in the editorial.
The editorial also tore into JNU student Sharjeel Imam, who has been arrested by the Delhi Police from Bihar’s Jehanabad for making an inflammatory speech at the Aligarh Muslim University. Sharjeel had called for cutting off Assam from the rest of India amid protests against the CAA and NRC, and a video of his speech had gone viral. A case of sedition has been filed against the JNU student over his inflammatory speech.
In strong words, the Shiv Sena editorial said: “Sharjeel Imam wanted to take over chicken’s neck and divide India. His hands should be cut and kept on display at the chicken’s neck highway. Home minister Amit Shah should immediately finish insects like Sharjeel. But he (Amit Shah) should also stay away from indulging in politics in Sharjeel’s name.”
Sharjeel could be heard saying in the viral video: “If we all come together, then we can separate the Northeast from India. If we cannot do it permanently, then at least for one to two months, we can do this. It is our responsibility to cut Assam from India. When this happens, only then the government will listen to us.”
The party called on the government to ensure no other Sharjeel emerges in the country. Sena said statements made by Sharjeel Imam had caused great damage to peaceful anti-CAA protests going across the country. “There have been protests all over the country against the new citizenship law, but no one has made any anti-national statements in this entire movement,” the editorial on Saamana said
“Urban Naxalism is already here. One Sharjeel is has been arrested but the responsibility lies on the government’s shoulders that no other Sharjeel should emerge. Sharjeel’s statement has given an issue to the BJP for free in the Delhi Assembly polls. His statement is ‘anti-national’ and ‘separatist’,” it added.
Sharjeel Imam, who masterminded the Shaheen Bagh road blockade to protest against the CAA, was arrested by Delhi Police from Bihar after multiple FIRs were filed against him for his seditious speech. Addressing a gathering at Aligarh, Imam had urged Muslims to come together and cut off the Siliguri Corridor aka the chicken’s neck, which connects the seven northeastern states to the rest of India. He had also earlier made provocative speeches where he had asked Muslims to come out and block roads of India and bring it to a standstill so as to get international media attention. Imam is a columnist at The Wire.
