The Congress slammed the ruling NDA government  for spreading hatred, after an article in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna sought revoking voting rights of Muslims.

“The Saamna thinks it lives in some Talibanised land and not in a democratic country like India. The Saamna has no place in culture like ours,” Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters here.

Congress leader Anand Sharma asked why communal comments keep pouring in despite of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurances.

“It is very clear you have elements who are out to create conflict and division in the society and inflame passion. Despite the prime minister’s repeated assurances in parliament, senior (BJP) leaders and members of Sangh Parivar keep making such statements,” Sharma told reporters.

“It is time they realise, they have been elected to provide governance not to create daily commotion,” he said.

In an article published in the latest issue of the Saamna, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut addressed All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi as “Owaisi bhai from Hyderabad” and said: “As long as Muslim votes are for sale, the community will remain backward and its leaders will become rich.”

In the article written in Marathi, he said it was because of this that the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had said “voting rights for Muslims should be taken away”.