Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday rebuked Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s claims that top BJP leaders conspired against their own party leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to ensure his defeat in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur.
In a veiled dig at Raut, Fadnavis said he does not speak about people who write articles after smoking marijuana and asked him to get mental treatment.
Speaking to the media, Fadnavis dismissed Raut’s allegations, saying, “I have repeatedly said not to ask me questions about Sanjay Raut. I don’t speak about people who write articles after smoking marijuana. I think he is in London, where there is good mental treatment available. He should take the appropriate medications.”
On Sunday, Raut, who is also the spokesperson for Shiv Sena (UBT), alleged in the party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana‘ that Fadnavis had unwillingly campaigned for Gadkari in Nagpur only after realising that Gadkari could not be defeated. Nagpur is the hometown of both BJP leaders.
“Modi, Shah and Fadnavis worked for Gadkari’s defeat in Nagpur. Fadnavis unwillingly joined the campaign for Gadkari when he realised he couldn’t be defeated. The RSS people in Nagpur are openly saying Fadnavis helped the opposition to get Gadkari defeated,” Raut wrote.
Raut further claimed that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had distributed Rs 25-30 crore in every constituency and used his resources to defeat candidates from the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar.
He further took a swipe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, suggesting that Adityanath would be replaced if the Modi-Shah government returned to power after the Lok Sabha elections.
Reactions to Raut’s article
Reacting to Raut’s claim, Maharashtra State BJP chief Chandrasekhar Bawankule stated that the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader had become “delusional”.
“The BJP is not a party but a family. People who have always played politics of factionalism will never understand family bonds. Modi, Shah, Yogi Adityanath, Gadkari and Fadnavis are part of the BJP’s family. We always work on the principle of nation first, then party and last self,” Bawankule stated.
Bawankule further asserted that, for Raut, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar always comes first, with his interests and Uddhav Thackeray taking a back seat.
“If Raut has the courage, he should write a column about how he tried to become the chief minister in 2019 (when the undivided Shiv Sena joined hands with the NCP and Congress),” he said.
Congress candidate from Nagpur seat Vikas Thakre pointed out that Raut had previously praised Gadkari and claimed in his article that the BJP leader would win the Lok Sabha polls, suggesting that Fadnavis campaigned for him.
“How does he (Raut) know that Gadkari ji is winning the election? Is he an astrologer? When he is a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), he should keep his love for Gadkari behind the walls of his home,” Thakre remarked.
Thakre expressed his belief that a senior leader of the MVA writing such things in a newspaper went against the alliance’s principles. “He should be talking in support of MVA candidates,” Thakre added.
He further stated that whatever issues Raut had with the BJP, he should address them directly rather than implying that they (BJP leaders) aided the MVA candidate in Nagpur. “It is not proper of him to say that,” Thakre noted.
(With inputs from agencies)
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