Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut, recently appeared on Rajat Sharma’s show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’. The two were locked in an intense tête-à-tête, regarding the split of the Sena party. Speaking on the split, Raut said “Rs 2,000 crore was spent on purchasing MLAs”. Adding on, he stated that “getting recognition was a part of the packaged deal. The show, which aired last night saw Raut make quite a few revelations.
Sharma also surveyed Raut about the Electoral Commission order and hinted that Raut’s camp is now concerned about protecting their 384 crore worth properties. To which Raut replied, “tell me, is Rs 384 crore a big figure for our party, which is more than 50 years old. It has been in power both in the state and the Centre. As a party, if we collected Rs 300 rupees in party fund, Shinde should not have this pain in his stomach”. To this, Sharma further questioned Raut, “they say, you fear even Matoshri bungalow can be taken over”?
Raut candidly responded, “With the help of the Election Commission, they have taken possession of Shiv Sena’s name and bow-arrow symbol. Let them carry these for the next 2-3 months, they will realize their true power. This game is for a few days.”
The pace of the conversation between Sharma and Raut was intense. Sharma also probed Raut regarding his allegations of Shinde government practicing black magic. Raut said, “go the Mantralaya, CM House and see what is happening, which animals they sacrificed animals at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. Everybody knew this, what was there to hide? Go to people’s homes in Maharashtra and find out whether black magic is being practiced. This is not the tradition in the homes of Maharashtra, this is a superstition.”
Sharma, who is a seasoned interviewer, retorted, “it was written Supriya Sule’s sari caught fire, Ajit Pawar was stranded inside a lift, Balasaheb Thorat broke his shoulder, Dhananjay Munde had an accident, Sanjay Raut had to go to jail. All these happened due to black magic?” Raut quickly responded to this by saying that it is the people of Maharashtra who feel this.
Raut, who is also in the middle of legal battle, was asked to clarify his comments on the judiciary becoming a mistress for those in power. “Yes, I wrote this, and I believe this. I am not alone in making this allegation. Many eminent people in the country are also saying that we are not getting justice. I also said, Supreme Court is the only place left where we find a ray of hope for getting justice.”
Another revelation made by the Uddhav Shiv Sena chief claimed that most of the 40 MLAs who left the party to join Eknath Shinde camp fear ED, CBI, and Income Tax raids. For Raut, “Out of the 40 MLAs who left, 10 were facing ED proceedings, three were facing CBI charges and two were facing Income Tax proceedings. They were intimidated and were offered money, and out of fear, they left the party. What has happened to the Jyotiraditya Scindia MP? The game that was played in Maharashtra was earlier played in MP, and they tried this game in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand too. They also attempted to do this in Delhi and Telangana.”
The last segment of show was focused on Raut opinion on Raj Thackeray. Sharma pointed out that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s mannerisms were like Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. To this, Raut laughingly responded that even “comedians and mimicry artistes like Johnny Lever and Raju Shrivastava can copy, but that does not make one a leader like Balasaheb.”
And lastly, Sharma also asked why Raj Thackeray broke away from Uddhav Thackeray. According to Raut, it was Raj’s wish. There are two or four brothers in a family, and they go their own ways. He thought, I can do something different. He set up his own party. However, he has nothing now. Sometimes he allies with BJP, sometimes with anyone else. Even Shinde thinks he can become the PM.”
