BJP seeks votes in name of Shivaji, silent on vandalisation of his statues: Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena slammed the BJP on Tuesday accusing it of resorting to ''double standards'' by seeking votes in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji and remaining silent on vandalisation of his statues in Karnataka.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also dared the BJP government in Karnataka to ban Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) against the backdrop of unrest over vandalisation of the statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji and freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna.

''The Centre is practising double standards on this issue. To lure voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Varanasi and referred to Chhatrapati Shivaji and how he fought the Mughals. But not a single Union minister has uttered a word on the insult meted out to Chhatrapati Shivaji in a BJP-ruled state," Raut told reporters here.

On MES, Raut said the organisation was not a political outfit but had been on the forefront for the past 70 years in raising issues of Marathi-speaking people in the Belgaum region.

''They have made sacrifices and shed blood for the cause of Marathi-speaking persons in the Maharashtra-Karnataka border region,'' Raut said.

He claimed that the Karnataka government has illegally arrested more than 200 activists of MES and cane-charged them.

''What are sensitive leaders of the BJP doing?'' Raut asked.

''It is one thing to talk of banning MES, but I dare them to ban the MES,'' the Shiv Sena leader said.