Senior leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, Sanjay Raut on Friday called himself a “prisoner of war” days after being granted bail in a money laundering case. One of Thackeray’s closest aides, Raut said he had lost 10 kg in prison and was kept inside an “anda cell”, where he could not see sunlight for at least 15 days.
In an interview to NDTV, Raut said due to prolonged exposure to floodlights, his eyesight had considerably weakened. “I have difficulty reading or seeing. I also have difficulty hearing and conversing. But it’s okay, I had to bear this. You start losing memory as well,” he was quoted as saying.
The anda cell is a high-security area, where prisoners are known to be kept in solitary confinement. The Sena leader said he was a “prisoner of war” as the state government led by chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Sena faction and the BJP thought the Thackeray faction was waging a war against them. Raut said he would not have been arrested had he surrendered to the BJP, as per the report published by NDTV.
He also questioned if the state government will only continue to arrest those in the opposition. Expressing his gratitude to the Thackeray family, Raut said all that he had achieved was “because of Balasaheb Thackeray and the Thackeray family”.
He slammed those who had left Uddhav Thackeray to join Shinde, and said the people of Maharashtra were with their faction and not with the CM’s group. Only the MLAs and party leaders were leaving to fulfil their personal agenda, he added.
“Those who have left, they are being controlled by someone else… There is only one Shiv Sena in Maharashtra,” the report quoted him as saying.
‘Maharashtra won’t accept comments against Savarkar’
On senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks against Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar during his pitstop in Maharashtra for ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Raut said the people of the state would not accept this. He, however, said the yatra undertaken by the Gandhi scion was against pressing issues such as unemployment, price rise and dictatorship.
“Coming to Maharashtra and saying things about Veer Savarkar won’t be accepted. Congress leaders in Maharashtra won’t support him (Rahul Gandhi),” Raut said, adding, “Bharat Jodo Yatra is against dictatorship and issues like unemployment, inflation and the Congress is getting support.”
The Thackeray faction is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which was toppled due to the rebellion of Shinde and some other leaders of the Shiv Sena. The Thackerays, however, have indicated that their relationship with the Congress remains intact with former minister Aaditya Thackeray joining Gandhi for the yatra when it passed through the state.
A day ago on Thursday, Raut said the BJP should ensure that Savarkar got Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award. The BJP has tried to corner the Thackeray-led Sena after Gandhi said during his Bharat Jodo Yatra that Savarkar helped the British and wrote mercy petitions to them out of fear.
“Bharat Ratna award should be bestowed upon Savarkar instead of exhibiting this pseudo affection towards him. Why has the award not been given to Savarkar so far?” Raut asked, commenting on the controversy and adding, “if they (BJP) have so much affection and respect for late Balasaheb Thackeray, they can also give Bharat Ratna to him.”
Shinde had said one of the causes behind his rebellion was that Uddhav Thackeray had betrayed his own father and Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s Hindutva ideology by forming an alliance with the Congress.
Raut said even Congress leaders from Maharashtra were embarrassed about Gandhi’s comments, and his stand about Savarkar could pose a major problem for the MVA alliance in the state. “He (Rahul) should not have brought up this issue (Savarkar) as this is not the agenda of the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” the leader added.
(With PTI inputs)
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