Page 3 - Sanjay Raut

Govt made petitioner approach HC to derail MVA bandh: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday alleged that the Maharashtra government used its favourite petitioner to approach the court to stop the bandh called by the Maha Vikas Aghadi against the Badlapur sexual assault. Talking to reporters, Raut said the bandh called by MVA partners was going to be 100 per cent successful and it would not have portended positively for the BJP-led Mahayuti government. The Bombay High Court on Friday restrained political parties or individuals from proceeding with a Maharashtra bandh on August 24 or any future date over the Badlapur school sexual assault incident. The government made its favourite petitioner file a petition in the court against the bandh, Raut said. He was referring to activist and lawyer Gunaratna Sadavarte, who approached the court against the bandh. Where is democracy in the country if our voices are going to be suppressed? The bandh was a manifestation of the anger in the minds of people, he said. It will be the ...

Protesters in Badlapur were locals, not outsiders: Raut slams Maha govt

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has said that those who had protested at Badlapur against the alleged sexual assault on two kindergarten girls at a school were locals and not outsiders as claimed by the Maharashtra government. In a post on X late on Wednesday night, Raut shared a copy of the police remand application of the people arrested for rioting at Badlapur station which said that most of the protesters were locals. In the post, Raut also tagged Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters blocked the railway tracks at Badlapur station over the alleged sexual assault on the two 4-year-old girls by a male attendant at a local school. The police had to resort to lathi charge after the protesters pelted stones. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said on Wednesday that the protest at Badlapur station over the alleged sexual assault on the two KG students was politically motivated with an aim to malign the state government and those ...

Freebies announced despite state reeling under heavy debt: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday alleged that the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra was announcing freebies despite the state reeling under the debt burden of Rs 8 lakh crore as the ruling parties suffered setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections. His remark comes a day after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a job training and stipend scheme for youth, tentatively named 'Ladka Bhau' Yojana. The scheme was announced days after the government introduced a monthly financial assistance scheme for eligible women. Under the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme announced in the state Budget, married, divorced, and destitute women aged 21-60 will receive Rs 1,500 per month, with the annual family income of beneficiaries capped at Rs 2.5 lakh. "The government copied the Madhya Pradesh government's (Ladli Behna) scheme to provide women Rs 1,500 per month, while under the Ladka Bhau scheme, men who are Class 12 pass will get Rs 6,000 and unemployed graduates will get Rs ...

BJP looking at past, should focus on future: Raut on Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said it has been 50 years since the Emergency was imposed, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to look at the past instead of focusing on the future. Raut was reacting to the Centre's decision to observe June 25, the day the Emergency was declared in 1975, as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas. Union Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the day will be observed to commemorate the "massive contributions" of those who endured the inhuman pains of the period. Talking to PTI Videos, Raut said it has been 50 years since the Emergency, but the BJP is still looking at the past when it should focus on the future. The situation today is such that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure is like the Emergency, he claimed. "Anyone is picked up and put in jail. There is pressure on the courts, you (the government) are running the central agencies, you are jailing your opponents, corruption and anarchy are rising, and China has made an incursion. The ...

Atal Bihari Vajpayee would have also imposed Emergency, says Sanjay Raut

On the occasion of the completion of 50 years of Emergency imposed in 1975, Birla praised the strength and determination of all those who strongly opposed the Emergency

Allowing Gaikwad to vote in council polls is misuse of power, alleges Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said allowing BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, who is in judicial custody in a shooting case, to vote in the Maharashtra legislative council polls would amount to misuse of power. The Congress had also urged the returning officer of the biennial elections not to allow Gaikwad, accused of opening fire at a Shiv Sena leader inside a police station, to cast his vote. Talking to reporters, Raut cited that in the last legislative council polls, the then NCP MLAs Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik were not allowed to vote. "Gaikwad can come out from jail to vote, but Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik were also in jail (during the 2022 council polls) and were not allowed to vote. This is use or misuse of power," he said. He further alleged that the results of the recent Lok Sabha election have shown that people have backed the opposition parties. "Even their (the ruling parties) MLAs can break or take a different stand. No one should be under the impression tha

BMW car crash: Sanjay Raut demands case trial in fast track court

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday demanded that the BMW hit-and-run case, in which a Shiv Sena politician's son is an accused, be tried in a fast track court and claimed attempts were being made to save the accused. Talking to reporters here, Raut wondered how the Mumbai Police could not trace the accused for three days and demanded capital punishment for him. Mihir Shah (24), son of a Shiv Sena politician Rajesh Shah, was arrested by the Mumbai Police on Tuesday, two days after he allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler in Worli area, killing a woman, Kaveri Nakhwa (45), and injuring her husband. Raut claimed the accused was made to escape and hide and raised suspicion over the role of the Mumbai Police. "Can anyone believe that the Mumbai Police was not able to trace the accused for three days? He was made to flee for three days so that the alcohol content in his body could not be found," he said. "He should be given death penalty and the case be tried in a

Seat-sharing talks for Maha polls yet to begin in MVA: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said seat-sharing talks have not commenced among the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies for the Maharashtra assembly polls scheduled later this year, and asserted that all are equal stakeholders in the opposition alliance. Talking to reporters, Raut said the MVA contested the Lok Sabha polls unitedly and showed to the world how Maharashtra stopped the BJP from getting a full majority. The MVA comprises Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress. The alliance won 30 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. "Seat-sharing talks have not yet commenced - neither with the NCP (SP) nor the Congress. So the question of who will contest how many seats doesn't arise. All are equal stakeholders," he said. "There are 288 (assembly) seats (in Maharashtra). There will be no shortage of seats for anyone. Everyone will contest comfortably," Raut said. His remarks came in the backdrop of a NCP (SP) party leader quoted its supremo Sharad Pawar as saying ...

Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as LS member: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as the Lok Sabha member, amid a controversy after he won the Mumbai North West seat by a thin margin of 48 votes. The Vanrai police in Mumbai have registered a case against Waikar's brother-in-law for allegedly using a mobile phone at a counting centre in Goregaon (which is part of Waikar's constituency) on June 4, when results of the general elections were announced. Speaking to reporters here, Raut said, "Waikar's electoral victory is under suspicion, and a complaint has already been filed at the Vanrai police station in Mumbai. Due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the poll outcome, Waikar should be prevented from taking oath as a member of the Lok Sabha." "It would be a true display of democracy if he is stopped from being a Lok Sabha member until the investigation is concluded," he added. Waikar, candidate of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ekn

Highlights: BJP will break TDP, JDU if it fails to secure Lok Sabha speaker post, says Sanjay Raut

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INDIA bloc will try to support TDP if it contests LS speaker's post: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said all partners of the opposition INDIA bloc will try to ensure support for the ruling ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) if it fields a candidate for the Lok Sabha speaker's election. Talking to reporters here, Raut claimed the Lok Sabha speaker's election will be crucial and if the BJP gets the post, it will break the government-supporting parties like the TDP, JD(U) and the political outfits of Chirag Paswan and Jayant Chaudhary. "We have the experience that BJP betrays the people who support it," Raut claimed. "I hear the TDP wants to field its candidate. If that happens, INDIA bloc partners will discuss the issue and will try to ensure that all the INDIA alliance partners extend support to the TDP," he said. The opposition should get the deputy speaker's post as per rule, the Rajya Sabha member said. He claimed the NDA government is not a stable regime. Asked about recent statements made by some Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders on

Naidu, Nitish 'dissatisfied souls' after portfolio allocation, claims Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that BJP allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu were "dissatisfied souls" following the allocation of portfolios in the Union cabinet. Talking to reporters here, he also latched onto the term "bhatakti aatma" used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and said this 'wandering restless soul' will not rest until the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra were dislodged. If RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat thought that the NDA government at the Centre was not in the interest of the country, he should pull it down, the Rajya Sabha member said. "There are two 'atrupta aatmas' (dissatisfied souls) in the Centre -- (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar and (TDP chief) Chandrababu Naidu. You (BJP) should satisfy these two atrupta aatma. The way portfolios have been allocated, it seems all souls are dissatisfied, especially the NDA allies," Raut said. In the portfolio allocation on Wednesday, Lalan Sing

Fadnavis villain of Maha politics; indulged in political vendetta: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday hit out at senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, calling him the "villain" in Maharashtra politics, and accused him of destroying many families and resorting to political vendetta. Raut's remarks come a day after Fadnavis offered to step down from post of deputy CM after the BJP's Lok Sabha seat tally in the state came down from 23 to 9, and said he wants to work "full time" for the party ahead of the assembly elections due later this year. Raut also asserted that if Narendra Modi tries to become the prime minister for the third time "forcibly", his government will not last and that the RSS was working to look for an alternative. Talking to reporters in Delhi, the Rajya Sabha member said, "If there is any villain in Maharashtra politics, then it is Devendra Fadnavis. The BJP's drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls is due to Devendra Fadnavis." "Fadnavis has destroyed many families and resorted to politica

LS polls 2024 : Sanjay Raut to attend INDIA bloc meet in Delhi today

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut will attend the opposition INDIA alliance meeting to be held in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to deliberate on the Lok Sabha poll results, party sources said. Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said he will also travel to Delhi to attend the INDIA alliance leaders' meeting, but now only Raut will be attending it. Raut is already in the national capital for the meeting, the sources added. Thackeray on Tuesday pushed for staking a claim to form the next government at the Centre and said the opposition alliance's leaders will meet on Wednesday in New Delhi to decide on the Prime Minister's face. He said leaders of the Congress and other parties were holding talks with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telegu Desam Party (TDP) head N Chandrababu Naidu to explore the possibility of their entry into the bloc. The Kumar-led JD(U) and the TDP are constituents of the BJP-headed NDA, which is poised to form the next government in the 543-member

Chandrababu, Nitish to decide if they want to ally with autocrat, says Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and JDU's Nitish Kumar, whose support is key to the formation of the next government, have to decide whether they want to join hands with an autocrat, a remark apparently aimed at the BJP leadership. Talking to reporters, Raut said his party will not oppose if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi decides to lead the INDIA bloc government and be the prime ministerial face. The INDIA bloc leaders will meet in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the further course of action.Raut also said PM Modi should accept that he has faced moral defeat as his party did not get a majority to form the government and that the Modi brand is now finished. "Chandrababu and Nitish Kumar have to decide whether they want to go with an autocrat and work in a democratic system. I don't think they will go with an autocrat," Raut said. "Modi ji is not forming a government for the third time," he claimed. As per the Lok Sabha elections ...

INDIA bloc will win 295 Lok Sabha seats, says Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the INDIA alliance has surpassed the numbers predicted by the exit polls and claimed the opposition bloc will win 295 Lok Sabha seats. Speaking to reporters, Raut said the Congress, which barely got 50 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is now poised to bag 150 seats. Counting of votes was underway across the country on Tuesday for polls to the 543-member Lok Sabha. "The picture is that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will be ahead in Maharashtra and the INDIA alliance will win 295 (seats in the country)," Raut claimed. "The INDIA alliance has crossed the figures predicted by the exit polls and sprinted ahead. It will cross 295 seats," the Rajya Sabha member added. The Congress-led INDIA bloc was leading in 200 seats in the early trends, a performance that appeared much better than what was predicted in the exit polls.

LS election result: Exit polls corporate game and fraud claims Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday described the exit polls as a "corporate game and a fraud" and claimed there was pressure on the media companies which conduct it. Speaking to reporters here, the Rajya Sabha member claimed the opposition INDIA bloc will win 295 to 310 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha and form government. Raut also said they do not require the exit polls as they work on the field and know the "undercurrent". Exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. Raut claimed, "There is lot of pressure on these media companies. The exit poll exercise is a corporate game and a fraud." "Do these companies conduct exit polls for free?" he asked. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader claimed the opposition INDIA alliance will win 295 to 310 seats. "This is not an exit poll but the figures are taken through a people's poll," he said. In ..

Fadnavis, Shah tried to work for Gadkari's defeat in LS polls, says Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis worked for Nitin Gadkari's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Raut alleged that Fadnavis had unwillingly campaigned for Gadkari, who contested from the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat, when he realised the Union minister couldn't 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," he wrote in an article in his party's mouthpiece "Saamna". The Sena (UBT) leader alleged that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had distributed Rs 25-30 crore in every constituency, and his machinery worked to defeat candidates of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar. Taking a potshot at Yogi Adityanath,

EC responsible for slow voting in Maha, poll body helping BJP, alleges Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed the Election Commission was an "extended branch of the BJP" and the voting process in Maharashtra's 13 Lok seats was slow wherever the MVA candidates were expecting a good turnout. Talking to reporters, Raut also claimed the election was seamless in areas where the possibility of the ruling BJP or its allies getting votes was more. An average turnout of 54.33 per cent was recorded after voting on Monday in the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies, including six in Mumbai, during the fifth and final phase of general elections in the state, as per poll authorities. The final figures will be declared later, an official from the state CEO's office said on Tuesday. The six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai recorded an average turnout of 52.27 per cent, compared to 55.38 per cent in the 2019 general elections. Raut claimed wherever the Shiv Sena (UBT) or MVA was expecting good votes, there was snail-paced election. "The Election Commission

LS polls: NCP, BJP leaders didn't want Shinde as CM in 2019, says Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that NCP and BJP leaders, who are part of the present government in Maharashtra, did not want Eknath Shinde as the chief minister in 2019. Talking to reporters, Raut also claimed that NCP leaders like Ajit Pawar, Dilip Walse Patil and Sunil Tatkare had opposed Shinde's name for the CM's post saying they will not work under a junior and inexperienced person like him. "Congress and NCP said they had several senior leaders and the alliance leader should be someone who is experienced, senior and can take everyone along," the Rajya Sabha member said. Similarly, before the Shiv Sena (then undivided and headed by Uddhav Thackeray) joined hands with the Congress and NCP (as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi to form government), BJP leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Girish Mahajan and Sudhir Mungantiwar told the Sena that they will not like Shinde as the CM, Raut claimed. Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis are currently deputy chief ministers in the state