Sanjay Raut: 'Shiv Sena is a national party now. And we think burqa should be banned in the interests of national security'

Q. Shiv Sena has said that a burqa ban in public places is a necessity — why?

The decision which has been taken by the Sri Lankan president after the terrorist attacks there is linked to this — they have banned the burqa in public places. The same threat is here with India. This issue is not about anyone’s religion but is concerned with national security.

France, Belgium, other countries have banned burqa because they are under threat of terror. Who are these terrorists? From where they do come?

I will not take the name of any religion. But the threat which is upon Sri Lanka, India has been battling the same threat from before. If in Hinduism or any other religion, there is any tradition which hampers national security, then that too should be banned.

I feel no one in the country will oppose this if it comes under the concerns of national security.

Q. Speaking of security, should Sadhvi Pragya fight elections?

Everyone has the freedom to fight elections, the people will decide. The Election Commission has banned people like Lalu Yadav and many others who can’t fight elections for six years as a punishment — till now, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur has not come under this ambit.

Q. What are the key issues that you have gone into elections with?

These polls are about electing a Prime Minister. During the Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena has fought keeping a national perspective in mind — Hindutva, national security, Pakistan, joblessness.

Q. But the Shiv Sena has been opposing the BJP through the last five years?

We had some differences in the last few years — we brought those issues out in the open. Sena spoke about the differences openly, we never did any backstabbing — whatever had to be said, we said on the face.

If the country wants stability, then I feel there is no alternative to NDA.

Q. Why the entry of Priyanka Chaturvedi now, who's been with Congress for years? Is your ideology more flexible today?

People come and go. Priyanka has worked in the Congress for many years, for some reason, she was uncomfortable there and that’s why she has come to us. We welcome her. Shiv Sena has never shown any flexibility when it comes to Hindutva — we are with BJP because they are also carrying the same agenda of Hindutva.

Q. But your critics say you are together with the BJP only to fend off Congress-NCP and Raj Thackeray.

Who joins hands with each other is not our agenda. BJP and Shiv Sena for 25 years were together, the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, we fought together, in the Vidhan Sabha, we parted ways and in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, again we have come together.

Raj Thackeray and whoever he campaigns for is his personal matter.

Sena will speak after the Lok Sabha election results come out on the assembly polls. We are in an alliance, some talks have taken place, we have settled on some issues and we’ll speak about them later.

Q. Does Shiv Sena still stand for Marathi manoos first or is it more cosmopolitan today?

In Hindutva, Marathi manoos is very much there — Bala Saheb Thackeray had always remained a Marathi but his image was established through Hindu samraj. There was a time Shiv Sena was limited only till Mumbai and we fought on the issues of Marathis — today, we have taken up all issues concerning the country, the issues of Marathis in Mumbai are the same in West Bengal, Punjab, Lucknow.

Shiv Sena has become a national party today.

Any party which has 18 MPs becomes a national party.

Q. The Congress meanwhile says that the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance will break before assembly elections. Will it?

The Congress should work hard at retaining its ground. They should not think of our alliance.

Why was Congress not able to have an alliance in UP with anyone?

Also read: Priyanka Chaturvedi: 'Congress speaks of ideological change. But it uses Raj Thackeray for its cause. Doesn’t it show lack of leadership in Maharashtra?