Union minister Narayan Rane has questioned Shiv Sena’s political might in Mumbai and said that its power is limited to ‘Matoshree’, the residence of party president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Bandra-east. Rane’s comments came in response to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s statement that his party is the most powerful in Mumbai.
“Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut says Shiv Sena is Mumbai’s ‘Dada’. But its power is limited to ‘Matoshree’,” Rane said in a tweet in Marathi.
“Gone are the days when you could threaten somebody. Now things have changed,” Rane added.
Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut wrote a letter to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, claiming he was approached by "certain people" who asked him to assist in toppling the MVA government in Maharashtra so that the state could be forced into mid-term elections.
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Raut also tweeted a photo of a tiger (Shiv Sena's party symbol), and in a Hindi post along with it said, "Jhukenge nahi..Jai Maharashtra.."(will not bow down).
"This is Mumbai and it is the Shiv Sena which is 'dada' (dominant force) of Mumbai," he told reporters, and asserted that the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will complete its five-year term.
He claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other central agencies were being used with the "oblique motive" of toppling democratically elected governments.
In the letter to Naidu, who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Raut said central agencies like the ED were "systematically targeting" Shiv Sena leaders, after the party formed the (MVA) government in Maharashtra with the NCP and Congress after severing ties with its old ally BJP.
Raut requested Naidu to take note of the "abuse of power" and alleged harassment of Rajya Sabha members, and said the vice president should also speak up and take action in this connection.
Seeking to put up a brave face, the Rajya Sabha member also said he is "not scared and will not bow down", and will continue to speak truth both inside and outside the House.
The Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson wrote the letter to Naidu on Tuesday and also sent its copies to leaders like Congress's Rahul Gandhi and NCP president Sharad Pawar.
Addressing reporters in Delhi on Wednesday, Raut said the letter was "just a trailer", and he will expose how (some) ED personnel were allegedly running a "criminal syndicate of the BJP".
"About a month ago, I was approached by certain people and was told to assist them in toppling the state government in Maharashtra. They wanted me to be instrumental in such an endeavour so that the state could be forced into a mid-term election," Raut alleged in the letter.
Raut further said he refused to be a part of the "clandestine" agenda, and claimed he was told that his refusal would lead to him "paying a heavy price".
The Sena leader claimed he was even told that his fate could be like that of a former railway minister who spent many years in jail.
"I was even warned that apart from me, two other senior ministers in the Maharashtra cabinet would also be sent behind bars under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), which would lead to mid-term elections in the Maharashtra, with all important leaders in the state being behind bars," he said.
Raut said the law to prevent money laundering became effective on January 17, 2003. But transactions which took place before that date and had nothing to do with money laundering are being investigated by the central agencies with the "oblique and ulterior motive" of harassing and terrorising political opponents of the BJP, he said.
"The ED and other central agencies are being used with the oblique motive of toppling democratically elected governments, which is certainly not a healthy sign for any country where democracy prevails," he added.
Raut accused the ED of threatening people who sold land to him and his family about 17 years ago and in 2012-13, forcing them (the sellers) into issuing statements against him.
The Shiv Sena leader said the decorators and other vendors roped in for his daughter's wedding function were also being "intimidated and threatened so as to extract statements" that they received Rs 50 lakh in cash from him.
The decorator was probed "at gun-point," he claimed.
Raut alleged that the ED and other agencies have unlawfully picked up 28 people in these connections so far.
"I, with all due humility, wish to state that I am not scared, nor am I going to bow down, and I will continue to speak the truth, both in the House and outside the House," the parliamentarian said.
Raut said he perceives actions of the central agencies as an attack on his right to speak freely and on democracy.
"I urge you to not just take note of the abuse of power to perpetuate intimidation and harassment of members of the Rajya Sabha, but also to speak up and take action," Raut said in the letter to Naidu.
(With inputs from PTI)
