Thackeray advised his former ally BJP, which is celebrating its 45th Foundation Day on Sunday, to 'behave' in a way Lord Ram did. Meanwhile, NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad also made a similar accusation, citing an article in the Organiser, the mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray addresses the media during the launch of Shiv Sena Sanchar in Mumbai, on Sunday. Pic/X
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday alleged that after introducing the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now eyeing the land of Christians, Jains, Buddhists, and even Hindu temples for their "friends."
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"The next step [after the Waqf law] would be to eye the land of Christians, Jains, Buddhists, and even Hindu temples. They will give prime land to their friends. They have no love for any community," the former Maharashtra Chief Minister said.
"They have made it public and everyone should open their eyes," Thackeray said, referring to the Organiser article, which appears to have since been unpublished.
According to news agency PTI, Thackeray advised his former ally, which is celebrating its 45th Foundation Day on Sunday, to "behave" in a way Lord Ram did.
Thackeray made these remarks during the launch of the Shiv Sanchar Sena, the party's IT and communications wing, reported PTI.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by the Parliament earlier this week. The government claims that the law will usher in reforms concerning Muslim religious endowments in the country.
When asked if Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) would approach the court over the Waqf Bill like other Opposition parties, he affirmed that his party has no such intention.
Earlier, Thackeray's party colleague Sanjay Raut had also claimed that, in the future, all Waqf land would go to the "industrialist friends" of BJP. Raut further stated that the BJP should not speak on poverty and alleged that the money it spent ahead of last year's assembly elections was equivalent to the budget of Maharashtra.
According to news agency PTI, Jitendra Awhad, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) legislator, also made a similar accusation, stating an article in ‘Organiser’.
Awhad, a Maharashtra legislator from the Kalwa-Mumbra constituency, claimed that after targeting Muslims, BJP was now aiming at Christians in the country. In a post on X, the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) cited the RSS mouthpiece, which suggested that it is not the Waqf Board but the Catholic Church of India that holds the largest landholdings in the country.
According to Awhad, the article titled 'Who Has More Land in India? The Catholic Church vs Waqf Board Debate' was published on Thursday. Awhad claimed in his post on X that the article stated, "For many years, there has been a common belief that the Waqf Board is the second largest landowner in India after the government; however, this claim does not align with the actual data on land ownership in the country."
The Catholic Church of India is said to be the largest non-governmental landowner, with vast tracts of land spread across the country, Awhad noted, citing the Organiser article. According to him, the article claimed that the Catholic Church owns around 17.29 crore acres (7 crore hectares) of land across India.
"Much of its land was acquired during British rule. In 1927, the British administration passed the Indian Church Act, facilitating large-scale land grants to the Church," Awhad wrote in his post, citing the article.
The Organiser article also suggested that some of the land owned by the Catholic Church may have been acquired through questionable means, Awhad claimed.
The article gains significance as it was published at a time when the Waqf Bill, passed by both Houses of Parliament, has sparked a fierce debate. "The Organiser had opposed the Constitution and the Indian tricolour in 1950," Awhad said, targeting the RSS-linked magazine.
(With PTI inputs)
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