Raze Aurangzeb’s grave, call Nitish and Naidu when it happens: Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai, Mar 18 (PTI): Slamming the BJP for raking up a “400-year-old issue”, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said the government should raze Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra’s Khultabad.
Thackeray was speaking to reporters in Vidhan Bhawan premises, a day after protests against Aurangzeb's tomb triggered violence in Nagpur, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ home town.
“Raze Aurangzeb’s tomb immediately, but do call Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu when that happens,” Thackeray said. He slammed the BJP-led government for raking up a "400-year-old" issue.
Observers said the reference to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar - both key BJP allies – was in the backdrop of the importance of Muslim votes for Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JDU in elections in their states.
“If BJP has any issue with green colour, it should remove the green colour from their flag,” Thackeray said. “You tried to malign our party’s saffron flag and try to teach us Hindutva,” he added.
Thackeray said Aurangzeb was born in Gujarat and was vanquished and died in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray said that the BJP is "shameless" as the violence took place in the hometown of CM Fadnavis.
"Sadly, when the BJP cannot govern, they resort to violence, riots and this is their set formula in every state. They are trying to dig up the history of someone who lived 300-400 years ago, but they cannot speak about the future. They cannot speak about the present,” he said.
Aditya Thackeray accused the BJP of orchestrating the tomb controversy to distract from the state government's failures. He claimed the BJP was trying to "make a Manipur of Maharashtra".
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India concerned over situation in Gaza; calls for humanitarian aid to affected people
New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI): India on Wednesday said it is concerned over the situation in Gaza and called for supply of humanitarian assistance to the affected people as Israel resumed bombing in conflict-hit Palestinian territory shattering its fragile ceasefire with Hamas.
New Delhi also underlined the need to release all hostages held by Hamas.
"We are concerned at the situation in Gaza. It is important that all hostages are released," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
"We also call for the supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza to be sustained," it said in a statement.
India's comments came as Israel pounded Hamas targets in Gaza on Tuesday, triggering uncertainty over the ceasefire that came into effect on January 19.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, over 400 people were killed in the Israeli bombing.
The Israeli action came after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on how to take forward the ceasefire deal from the initial phase. The deal comprised three stages.
The negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire pact were to start around six weeks back. But the two sides could not hold the talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will not "relent" until it achieves all "vital goals".
"In the past two weeks, Israel did not initiate any military action in the hope that Hamas would change course. Well, that didn't happen," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
"While Israel accepted the offer of President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Hamas flatly refused to do so," he said.
"This is why I authorised yesterday the renewal of military action against Hamas," Netanyahu added.
India has been pitching for the "two-State solution to the Palestinian issue with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security.
Our statement on the situation in Gaza⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 19, 2025
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