Sanjay Raut says going with BJP means helplessness, calls those doubting Pawar fools

MP Sanjay Raut addressed a press conference on the state's political churn, talk of a merger of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party, the possibility of going with the BJP, farmers' issues and the power tussle over the Gokul milk union. He criticised the BJP, the Shinde faction and the Ajit Pawar faction. Raut said once again that the Shiv Sena is one and belongs to Uddhav Thackeray.

Reacting to talk of meetings on a merger of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party, Raut asked who was really spreading these discussions. According to him, it is people on the other side who are speaking loudly on the subject, which means they are not happy there.

Raut said the Shiv Sena is one, not two, and the real Shiv Sena is Uddhav Thackeray's. He also said the Nationalist Congress Party is one and belongs to Sharad Pawar. He said the merger issue was not with them and that they stand on their ideological position and on their own feet.

On the question of going with the BJP, Raut targeted the Shinde faction. He said staying with the BJP means accepting helplessness and giving up self-respect. He said people in the Shinde faction should be asked in what condition they are living. According to Raut, he left them at the right time for the sake of self-respect. He alleged that the BJP broke the Shiv Sena and handed the party to people without any grounding. He said clearly that he has no ideological relationship with the present Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking of Sharad Pawar, Raut said his party would not go with bigoted forces. He said the party stands for the ideas of Yashwantrao Chavan, Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. He said those claiming Sharad Pawar will go with the BJP are fools. Raut said he trusts Pawar's politics more than anyone else does and would not let Pawar's political devotion of so many years be reduced to dust.

Raut also targeted Ajit Pawar's party. He alleged that it is becoming leaderless and that Amit Shah is deciding its decisions and future. Raut said the BJP is, of course, their own party, but Amit Shah also decides the future of the Shinde faction and the other faction of the Nationalist Congress Party. He also remarked that it is not the case that Sunil Tatkare is not changing his stand because he is not being given importance.

On farmers, Raut alleged that the BJP keeps spreading rumours when it has no other work. He said farmers had died by suicide in Hingoli but no one was speaking on this grave subject, and he questioned the government's role. He also criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visiting a farmer. Raut said staying a day at a farmer's house by laying out a mattress does not convey his condition. To understand farmers' real problems, one has to experience their circumstances, he said.

Raut also took an aggressive stance on the power tussle over the Gokul milk union of Kolhapur. He appealed that a march in Kolhapur alone would not do for Gokul, and that agitations should be held at Varsha bungalow, Mantralaya and across the state. He alleged that the mandate given by the people is being rejected, and in this way questioned the democratic process.

Raut asked whether, if the Mahadik faction had won 13 seats, it would have brought in four directors. He said every vote counts in a democracy, and angrily asked what kind of democracy it is if four additional people lose. He said the Gokul matter is not limited to one milk union but concerns the state's farmers, and that Maharashtra's farmers should come forward on this question.

Reacting to a statement made by Meenakshi Shinde during Diwali, Raut demanded action. He said some action would have to be taken in the matter after Diwali ended. Raut said the police should act against Meenakshi Shinde and Rajendra Shinde.