Days after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said that infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh should be driven out, the Shiv Sena on Saturday said that Muslim infiltrators from these countries should be thrown out of India.

The Sena also took a dig at Raj Thackeray over his ideological shift towards Hindutva saying that dealing with the Hindutva ideology as propagated by VD Savarkar and late party founder Balasaheb Thackeray was not a child’s play.

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It also taunted him saying that having two flags showed the confused state of mind. “The Muslim infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh should be driven out of India. There should be no doubt about that. But it is amusing to see a party changing its flag for it,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ”Saamana”.

“Secondly, having two flags shows the confused state of mind. Raj Thackeray founded his party 14 years back on the issue of Marathi. But it appears to be turning towards Hindutva now,” it added.

Raj Thackeray on Thursday unveiled his party’s new flag which is saffron in colour and bears the ”rajmudra” (royal seal) used during the times of warrior King Shivaji.

While addressing a rally later that day, he made it clear to his party workers that the new flag will not be used during elections.

“Dealing with the Hindutva of Savarkar and Balasaheb is not a child’s play. But we are large-hearted enough to welcome those who take a pro-Hindutva stand. Even if the ideology is borrowed, it is pro-Hindutva. Go ahead if you think you can do it,” the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

It added that the MNS is unlikely to achieve anything from its new Hindutva stand as Shiv Sena had never shed its saffron colour.

“The Shiv Sena had already done a lot of work on the issue of Marathi. Hence MNS did not get any response from Marathi people. There is a criticism that Raj Thackeray has turned towards Hindutva as BJP wanted it. But MNS is unlikely to achieve anything on this front also as the Shiv Sena has done a lot work on Hindutva across the country,” it added.

“Shiv Sena formed the government in Maharashtra with Congress and NCP. This doesn”t mean that the party has given up on its ideology. More than criticism, there is heartburn.

“BJP can join hands with anybody, including Mehbooba Mufti, but if others take a similar political move, it becomes a sin! Although the ideologies of the three parties (NCP-Sena and Congress) are different, there is a consensus among them that the government will be run for the welfare of the people.

What the BJP could not do in five years, the MVA government had achieved in 50 days,” it said.

Hitting out at the MNS chief for stating that the Shiv Sena had changed its colour to become part of the government, the party said such comments show the “political bankruptcy”.

“Those who say this should check the masks and multi-coloured make up on their own faces,” it said.

“BJP changed its colour in 2014 and 2019. Now since Shiv Sena is not going to change despite being in alliance with Congress and NCP,a conspiracy has been hatched to divide the Hindutva votes,” the saffron party alleged.

“Raj Thackeray has now backed the CAA and will take out a march in its support. But a month ago, he had a taken different stand. He had then said that the new law is a move to divert people”s attention from important issues like economic slowdown,” it said.

Showing his strong support for the Centre’s Citizenship Act, NPR and NRC, Raj Thackeray on Thursday set forth an aggressive pro-Hindutva agenda which would be anti-Pakistani and anti-Bangladeshi infiltrators but inclusive of all genuine Indian Muslims.

Addressing the party’s first-ever mega-convention in Goregaon, on the occasion of the 94th birth anniversary of Shiv Sena founder, the late Balasaheb Thackeray, the MNS chief said the party will take out a huge rally on February 9 to drive illegal infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh out of India.

Endorsing his support to the CAA-NRC-NPR policies of the BJP-led Central government, Raj Thackeray said: “We have to be tough with infiltrators. We are sitting on a volcano. It can erupt anytime. We can keep working on CAA/NRC. We have to throw out Pakistani and Bangladeshi immigrants. I will support the government on this.”

He also took potshots at his estranged cousin and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and put the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on notice by announcing the MNS would set up a ‘Shadow Cabinet’ to monitor the government’s performance in key areas.

Speculations are rife that the BJP might support MNS after its long-time ally Shiv Sena joined hands with the Congress and NCP, its traditional adversaries in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance had collapsed over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

(With PTI inputs)