New Delhi: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday (May 28), criticised the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra for causing communal tensions ahead of Eid ul-Adha or Bakrid, stating that such attempts do not reflect the state’s culture or traditions.Raut’s remarks came while addressing a press conference, days after an incident in Mira Road in Mumbai.On Tuesday, a dramatic video had gone viral on social media showing a policeman carrying a pig through a chaotic crowd of agitated mob and television journalists in Mira Road, as dozens of people frantically tried to snatch the animal from his hands.The situation had emerged from inside Poonam Cluster 1, a residential complex in the area, located in the outskirts of Mumbai, with 600 apartments and an almost equal number of Muslim and Hindu households. The society has celebrated festivals of all faiths without any issues all along. The Wire reported that like every year, this year too, the Muslims members built a pandal within the complex to keep the goats purchased for ritual sacrifice on Eid. However, this year, three households, all belonging to the Brahmin community, raised objections to it, called the municipal corporation to take action and remove the pandal. The scuffle went on for days till May 26, when a large mob gathered outside the society with a fully grown pig in tow and began chanting the Hanuman Chalisa.Raut alleged that certain political groups who were selectively targeting Muslim religious practices, while staying quiet about animal sacrifices allegedly linked to temples. “This is political matter, to cause polarisation between two religions, and it will increase as state and Lok Sabha elections come closer. They (hinting at the BJP-led government) have been doing this – spreading communal tensions – for decades,” he said, without explicitly naming any party.“For those who are speaking about qurbani, how many buffaloes were sacrificed at the Kamakhya Temple?… You’re okay with your qurbani but have a problem when the qurbani is by another religion?” Raut questioned and went on to say, “Maharashtra is a land of meat-eaters, it is the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We are Kshatriyas; we are Marathas. So we will continue to offer such sacrifices.”“Indeed, we even offer the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of our nation. If you do not make sacrifices, how can the country and Maharashtra be saved?” he asked.Since the incident, the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police deployed personnel in the area and also in other localities that have sizeable Muslim populations. The incident at Poonam Cluster had a ripple effect in other parts of the city too as several housing societies, despite prior permission to shelter goats in the designated spots, have had to move them out.