Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) An embarassed Shiv Sena Tuesday distanced itself from party leader Ramdas Kadam's "anti-Muslim" and "anti-Pakistan" remarks at a rally attended by BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, terming these as "his personal view".
Worried by the fallout of the remarks, a Shiv Sena spokesperson said that "the statements do not echo the sentiments of Bal Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray and the Shiv Sena".
"It is his personal view. The party's stand on Hindutva is clear, and voiced by Uddhav (Thackeray) time and again," the spokesperson said.
Attempting to downplay Kadam's utterances, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde said here that Kadam intended that action would be taken against Pakistanis and Bangladeshis staying here and enrolled as voters.
Addressing the rally Monday as Modi arrived on the stage, Kadam, a former leader of opposition in the state assembly, said, "These Muslims rioted against police and burnt their vehicles".
"They vandalized the statues of martyrs, they molested policewomen... I am confident Narendra Modi will ensure that such acts are not left unpunished," he said, referring to the riots at Azad Maidan in 2012.
Continuing in a similar vein, Kadam also targeted Pakistan, linking it with the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
"The lives of many Hindus were saved because of the Shiv Sena and its patriarch, Bal Thackeray. If Modi comes to power, he will destroy Pakistan in six months," Kadam said.
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