Sena gives religious hue to demonetisation, says govt targeting only Hindus

An editorial in the party mouthpiece, Saamana, criticised IT raids on priests of Triambakeshwar temple in Nashik, and questioned if the government had the same guts to raid madarsas and mosques in its search for black money...

Following continuous criticism of the Narendra Modi-led government over demonetisation, citing the hardship faced by the common man, Shiv Sena on Friday gave the debate a religious hue by stating that the Centre is targeting only Hindus in its war against black money.

Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP, said what the government has done surpasses the supposed secularism of the Congress and leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav. (HT file photo)

An editorial in the party mouthpiece, Saamana, criticised Income Tax raids on priests of Triambakeshwar temple in Nashik, and questioned if the government had the same guts to raid madarsas and mosques in its search for black money.

The party, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and in Maharashtra government, said what the government has done surpasses the supposed secularism of the Congress and leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav.

“Nobody is against the search and seizure of black money. But this kind of action should not be limited only to the common man, and that too on Hindus,” the editorial reads. “Temples in states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have a lot of gold in them and so the government is trying to stamp its secularism by deciding that all Hindu Gods are criminals. The Hindus are the worst-affected in the government’s war on black money after its demonetisation exercise.”

The editorial mentions that even churches in India get a large amount of foreign funds, which they then use to convert Dalits and adivasis [tribals] to Christianity. “Does the Income Tax department think that all these conversion transactions are done online and in a cashless manner? But the way the government has the courage to raid Hindu priests, it does not have the courage to raid Christian priests.”

The same goes for mosques and madarsas in the country, the editorial added, stating these institutions get a lot of funding from across borders and specific mosques and madarsas fuel certain religious organisations. “Will the brave Income Tax department officials raid these madarsas and mosques to get the accounts of offshore funds that they get? They don’t have that kind of courage.”