Mumbai: Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has stirred up a new controversy by claiming in his weekly column for Saamna, the party mouthpiece, that the voting rights of Muslims should be scrapped “to stop the use of Muslims as a votebank”.

All parties condemned these remarks, but the Sena tried to downplay it by saying his column had only criticised appeasement politics and it should not be “misinterpreted as being against the Muslim community”.

In his Sunday column, Mr Raut, who is also Saamna’s executive editor, claimed that late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had suggested the voting rights of Muslims should be taken away to stop “votebank politics”. Mr Raut went on to say he agreed with the idea.

“The issue of Muslim votebank is a matter of worry and a headache. Everyone is indulging in ‘votebank politics’ under the pretext of (fighting to remove) their sorrows, poverty and lack of education,” he said.

The Shiv Sena MP claimed Congress candidate Narayan Rane had offered Rs 17 crore to AIMIM candidate Rehbar Khan to withdraw from the Bandra East Assembly byelection. “Every candidate who calls himself ‘secular’ tries to ensure that another candidate who can divide Muslim votes does not contest. The AIMIM candidate during his election campaign announced he was offered Rs 17 crore by the Congress candidate to withdraw. Some people want candidates who can divide Muslim votes and some do not want division of Muslim votes. As long as mere numbers of Muslim voters are going to remain the only factor in an election, development of the Muslim community is not possible. There will be no future for Muslims as long as there is Muslim votebank politics. Therefore Balasaheb had demanded scrapping of voting rights of Muslims, and it was correct,” Mr Raut said.

Mr Raut’s comments evoked strong reactions from other political parties. Congress leader Anand Sharma said: “We are proud of India’s diversity, its pluralism. India belongs to all and every citizen of this country enjoys the same fundamental rights.”

Samajwadi leader Kamal Farooqui said, “The government should take legal action against them and prosecute them. All these people who have this kind of mentality should go to some other country.”

Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said, “The article doesn’t want Muslims’ voting rights taken away, but it is not right to nurture the deprived feelings.