Mumbai: The ruling parties in Maharashtra are on the offensive against what it calls as appeasement politics after the Opposition’s subtle change of narrative from ‘saffron’ to ‘Sanatani terror’ post Malegaon ruling.
The court’s acquittal to all seven accused comes as a shot in the arm for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena (Shinde)—partners in the ruling Mahayuti alliance—ahead of the local body polls to strengthen their Hindutva politics.
Political analyst Abhay Deshpande said that both the rulings—the Malegaon blasts and the Mumbai train blasts—came within the same week and despite the two being similar, both BJP and the Opposition took differing views.
In the cases related to the Mumbai train blasts, the BJP government appealed in the apex court and the Opposition did not question the court’s decision. Similarly, the BJP welcomed the Malegaon ruling while the Opposition was on the other end.
“This gives a chance for the BJP to polarise the elections ahead of the elections in the wake of the linguistic issue. It is better to draw attention to religious polarisation than the Marathi versus non-Marathi issue,” Deshpande said. “The usage of saffron terror has backfired. After this verdict, the BJP will try to encash this and make this a core agenda. The government has taken a clear line and it is like a trap for the Congress. If the Congress insists that the government should appeal against the Malegaon ruling, then they can say how it is anti-Hindu and that is why the Opposition is using the word, Sanatan terror.”
Deshpande further explained that by saying ‘Sanatan terrorism’, the Opposition would not be targeting all Hindus as Sanatana Dharma is more equated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
That, he said, is the projection the Opposition wants—’We are not targeting the Hindus, but the Sangh Parivar and its affiliates.’
Loosely translated as the ‘eternal path’ or ‘eternal law,’ Sanatana Dharma is a spiritual and philosophical tradition that finds its roots in the Indian subcontinent.
In the aftermath of the 2008 Malegaon bomb blasts, the initial findings gave a political opportunity to the Congress to turn the narrative against terrorism allegedly sponsored by Hindutva outfits. It was back then when some senior leaders such as P.Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh, and Sushilkumar Shinde began to use the word, ‘saffron terror’.
Seventeen years on, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan remarked that instead of ‘saffron terrorism’, suggested the use of the term ‘Sanatani or Hindu terrorist’.
“I request, don’t use the term ‘saffron terrorism’. If you must, then say ‘Sanatani terrorist’ or ‘Hindu terrorist,” the former chief minister told the media Thursday, adding that terrorism has no caste or religion.
Chavan went on to add that he was against the use of the term “saffron terror” as saffron is the colour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s flag and Warkari sect
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) legislator Jitendra Awhad then made a similar comment on social media, citing various historical contexts to buttress his point.
हिंदू आणि सनातनी (मनुवादी ) मधील फरक
पाखंडावर प्रहार करणारे तुकाराम महाराज हिंदू
त्यांना छळून त्यांचे अभंग पाण्यात बुडवणारे सनातनीज्ञानोबा माऊली हिंदू
त्यांच्या पालकांना आत्महत्या करायला लावणारे सनातनीछत्रपति शिवाजीराजे हिंदू l
त्यांना राज्याभिषेक नाकारणारे सनातनीराजर्षी… pic.twitter.com/uyEX7Ggx7l
— Dr.Jitendra Awhad (@Awhadspeaks) August 3, 2025
Another NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar drew parallels between Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse and the terrorists of the Pahalgam attack.
Hinduism, he posted on X, has always supported equality, humanity, and the teachings of saints to stress that the tradition based on Manusmriti cannot be part of Hinduism. “We burnt Manusmriti in the past, we burned it today, and we will continue to burn it in the future.”
The BJP and the Shiv Sena attacked the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rivals, saying that they lack knowledge of scriptures. Sanatana Dharma, they said, teaches peace and harmony.
“The statement by the leader of Sharad Pawar’s faction is based on an incomplete study of the scriptures… Are you defaming Sanatana Dharma? Will you now do this for your politics? It is unfortunate that he (Awhad) is making such statements solely for the politics of appeasement,” BJP MLA Ram Kadam told the media.
Later, BJP MP Sambit Patra doubled down on the attack on Awhad. The Shiv Sena workers took out protests against Chavan’s statements and took out a protest at the Congress office in Dadar, demanding an apology from the Congress leader.
Later, Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai explained that Sanatana Dharma is a distinct ideology that advocates for harmony and tolerance “What he said is totally wrong,” he said, referring to the NCP (SP) leader.
Pawar and Awhad faced criticism from BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye for “Hindu hatred and appeasement politics” as well.
It was Awhad who once glorified terrorists like Ishrat Jahan, he said on X. “Have you forgotten Batla House, where terrorists were killed in an encounter and Sonia Gandhi was reportedly in tears?”
“You have repeatedly used the phrase ‘Sanatani terrorist’. Can you once mention Muslim terrorists and condemn those who killed Hindus in Pahalgam? You are quick to defame Sanatana Dharma but hesitate to name Muslim terrorists. Those who glorify Ishrat Jahan have no moral right to talk about Sanatana Dharma,” he added.
Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal sought to deflect the criticisms, alleging that ideological roots of Pakistan’s creation lies in the RSS and the BJP.
“When India was fighting for freedom, the BJP’s predecessors were allied with the Muslim League, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee was Deputy CM in their government,” he argued.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Hostile witnesses, Pragya Thakur & a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ plot—twists & turns in 2008 Malegaon blast case
