Mumbai: The ruling events in Maharashtra are on the offensive towards what it calls as appeasement politics after the Opposition’s delicate change of narrative from ‘saffron’ to ‘Sanatani terror’ put up Malegaon ruling.

The court docket’s acquittal to all seven accused comes as a shot within the arm for the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) and the Shiv Sena (Shinde)—companions within the ruling Mahayuti alliance—forward of the native physique polls to strengthen their Hindutva politics.

Within the instances associated to the Mumbai prepare blasts, the BJP authorities appealed within the apex court docket and the Opposition didn’t query the court docket’s determination. Equally, the BJP welcomed the Malegaon ruling whereas the Opposition was on the opposite finish.

“This provides an opportunity for the BJP to polarise the elections forward of the elections within the wake of the linguistic difficulty. It’s higher to attract consideration to spiritual polarisation than the Marathi versus non-Marathi difficulty,” Deshpande stated. “The utilization of saffron terror has backfired. After this verdict, the BJP will attempt to encash this and make this a core agenda. The federal government has taken a transparent line and it is sort of a entice for the Congress. If the Congress insists that the federal government ought to enchantment towards the Malegaon ruling, then they’ll say how it’s anti-Hindu and that’s the reason the Opposition is utilizing the phrase, Sanatan terror.”

Deshpande additional defined that by saying ‘Sanatan terrorism’, the Opposition wouldn’t be focusing on all Hindus as Sanatana Dharma is extra equated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

That, he stated, is the projection the Opposition needs—’We’re not focusing on the Hindus, however the Sangh Parivar and its associates.’

Loosely translated because the ‘everlasting path’ or ‘everlasting legislation,’ Sanatana Dharma is a religious and philosophical custom that finds its roots within the Indian subcontinent.

Within the aftermath of the 2008 Malegaon bomb blasts, the preliminary findings gave a political alternative to the Congress to show the narrative towards terrorism allegedly sponsored by Hindutva outfits. It was again then when some senior leaders corresponding to P.Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh, and Sushilkumar Shinde started to make use of the phrase, ‘saffron terror’.

Seventeen years on, senior Congress chief Prithviraj Chavan remarked that as a substitute of ‘saffron terrorism’, steered the usage of the time period ‘Sanatani or Hindu terrorist’.

“I request, don’t use the time period ‘saffron terrorism’. In the event you should, then say ‘Sanatani terrorist’ or ‘Hindu terrorist,” the previous chief minister informed the media Thursday, including that terrorism has no caste or faith.

Chavan went on so as to add that he was towards the usage of the time period “saffron terror” as saffron is the color of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s flag and Warkari sect

Nationalist Congress Social gathering (Sharadchandra Pawar) legislator Jitendra Awhad then made the same touch upon social media, citing numerous historic contexts to buttress his level.

हिंदू आणि सनातनी (मनुवादी ) मधील फरक

पाखंडावर प्रहार करणारे तुकाराम महाराज हिंदू
त्यांना छळून त्यांचे अभंग पाण्यात बुडवणारे सनातनी

ज्ञानोबा माऊली हिंदू
त्यांच्या पालकांना आत्महत्या करायला लावणारे सनातनी

छत्रपति शिवाजीराजे हिंदू l
त्यांना राज्याभिषेक नाकारणारे सनातनी

राजर्षी… pic.twitter.com/uyEX7Ggx7l

— Dr.Jitendra Awhad (@Awhadspeaks) August 3, 2025

One other NCP (SP) chief Rohit Pawar drew parallels between Mahatma Gandhi’s murderer Nathuram Godse and the terrorists of the Pahalgam assault.

Hinduism, he posted on X, has all the time supported equality, humanity, and the teachings of saints to emphasize that the custom based mostly on Manusmriti can’t be a part of Hinduism. “We burnt Manusmriti up to now, we burned it as we speak, and we’ll proceed to burn it sooner or later.”

The BJP and the Shiv Sena attacked the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rivals, saying that they lack information of scriptures. Sanatana Dharma, they stated, teaches peace and concord.

“The assertion by the chief of Sharad Pawar’s faction relies on an incomplete examine of the scriptures… Are you defaming Sanatana Dharma? Will you now do that in your politics? It’s unlucky that he (Awhad) is making such statements solely for the politics of appeasement,” BJP MLA Ram Kadam informed the media.

Later, BJP MP Sambit Patra doubled down on the assault on Awhad. The Shiv Sena staff took out protests towards Chavan’s statements and took out a protest on the Congress workplace in Dadar, demanding an apology from the Congress chief.

Later, Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai defined that Sanatana Dharma is a definite ideology that advocates for concord and tolerance “What he stated is completely fallacious,” he stated, referring to the NCP (SP) chief.

Pawar and Awhad confronted criticism from BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye for “Hindu hatred and appeasement politics” as properly.

It was Awhad who as soon as glorified terrorists like Ishrat Jahan, he stated on X. “Have you ever forgotten Batla Home, the place terrorists had been killed in an encounter and Sonia Gandhi was reportedly in tears?”

“You have got repeatedly used the phrase ‘Sanatani terrorist’. Are you able to as soon as point out Muslim terrorists and condemn those that killed Hindus in Pahalgam? You’re fast to defame Sanatana Dharma however hesitate to call Muslim terrorists. Those that glorify Ishrat Jahan don’t have any ethical proper to speak about Sanatana Dharma,” he added.

Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal sought to deflect the criticisms, alleging that ideological roots of Pakistan’s creation lies within the RSS and the BJP.

“When India was combating for freedom, the BJP’s predecessors had been allied with the Muslim League, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee was Deputy CM of their authorities,” he argued.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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Additionally Learn: Hostile witnesses, Pragya Thakur & a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ plot—twists & turns in 2008 Malegaon blast case

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