The Shiv Sena on Saturday slammed Hamid Ansari for his “insecurity among Muslims” remark, saying the former vice-president should rather have scorned at those in the minority community, who refuse to sing ‘Vande Mataram’.
“The former vice president has said Muslims in the country are feeling insecure. He should instead have attacked the fanatic thoughts of those Muslims (who feel insecure).
“A large part of the community is not ready to sing ‘Vande Mataram’. This is an insult to the motherland,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
It added that Ansari’s image would have got enhanced had he slammed those who were ready to leave the country but not chant ‘Vande Mataram’.
Not singing the national song was as terrible as the attacks on Muslims in the name of cow protection, the Sena said.
It added that if Ansari felt that Muslims were insecure in the country, he should have quit as vice-president long back and expressed his feelings.
“But, making such remarks on the last day (in office) is not anguish but soreness of losing power,” the editorial in ‘Saamana’ said.
Ansari, whose second term as the vice-president ended on August 10, had said in an interview that there was a feeling of unease and sense of insecurity among Muslims in the country as the “ambience of acceptance” was under threat.