Loudmouths in BJP speaking on Ram Mandir, Shiv Sena chief in Mumbai

With state Assembly elections around the corner, the bickering between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can’t seem to stop. Days after Prime Minister

With state Assembly elections around the corner, the bickering between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can’t seem to stop. Days after Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s veiled jibe at Sena president Uddhav Thackeray over his statements on the Ram Mandir issue, an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana stated that the “loudmouths” speaking on the matter are within the BJP. With the seat-sharing agreement between the two parties yet to be announced, the Sena said that if statements from “loudmouths” damage the image of the PM, then BJP leaders should refrain from making statements on the issue.

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PM Modi, during his visit to Nashik earlier in the week, had said, “I am amazed at the ‘bayan bahadurs and badbole’ [loudmouths] speaking on the Ram Mandir issue. Everyone in the country should respect the Supreme Court. I want to tell these people with folded hands to have faith in the judicial system.”

The Sena, in the editorial, said the PM’s remarks were for BJP leaders as they themselves have been acting as motormouths. “Who are these ‘badbole’? Since the time Modi has come to power he has been frustrated by the loudmouths in his own party. It is true that the Ram Mandir issues is sub-judice, but the ones who make statements on Ram Mandir are from the BJP. We must understand the PM’s frustration and anger in Nashik,” the editorial said. It added that BJP MPs Swami Chinmayanand and RK Sinha have been speaking on the issue. “Uttar Pradesh minister Mukut Bihari Verma crossed all boundaries with a statement that ‘the Ram Mandir will surely be constructed in Ayodhya because the SC is ours’,” the editorial stated.

A day after Modi’s “loudmouths” remark, Thackeray had responded in a softer pitch on Friday, saying, “It was for the ones who are making statements. I am not making statements, I am merely saying what is in the minds of the Hindus... we have faith in the judiciary. But this case has been going on for a long time.” In a dig at PM Modi, the editorial added that the Opposition has started doubting PM Modi’s belief in the judiciary. “If statements from the loudmouths create doubts over the stance of the PM then BJP leaders must stop making statements on Ram Mandir... BJP leaders should listen to the advice of the PM and put a lock on their mouths,” it said.