May 26, 2024 05:45 PM IST
Sanjay Raut alleged that Eknath Shinde distributed ₹25-30 crore in every constituency, and his machinery worked to defeat candidates of Ajit Pawar’s NCP
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis worked for Nitin Gadkari‘s defeat in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now!
Taking a potshot at Yogi Adityanath, he said the Uttar Pradesh chief minister will be replaced if the Modi-Shah government returns to power after the Lok Sabha elections.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrasekhar Bawankule hit out at Raut, calling him ‘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,” he was quoted by PTI.
“For Raut, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar always comes first, his interests and Uddhav Thackeray come last,” he added.
“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),” the state BJP chief said.
Congress candidate from Nagpur seat Vikas Thakre said Raut had praised Gadkari in the past and has, in his article, claimed that the BJP leader would win the Lok Sabha polls and hence, 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 added.
“By writing openly in favour of Gadkari, the Sena (UBT) leader is causing losses to MVA,” he said.
“I feel that a senior leader of the MVA writing such things in a newspaper is not the dharm of the alliance. He should be talking in support of MVA candidates,” Thakre said.
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times’ newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we’ve got you covered.
