Mumbai, June 24: Shiv Sena troubleshooter Sanjay Raut began Friday with a jab at the Bharatiya Janata Party – which he, and his allies in the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, have accused of engineering Eknath Shinde’s revolt. Raut claimed that a union minister had threatened NCP chief Sharad Pawar, saying ‘if attempts are made to the Maha Vikas Aghadi then Pawar will not go home’.
“Whether or not the MVA survives, use of such language for Pawar is not acceptable,” Raut tweeted, tagging prime minister Narendra Modi’s office.
“Threats are being given to Sharad Pawar Ji by a central minister. Do such threats have the support of Modi Ji and Amit Shah Ji?” he asked reporters.
Raut’s tweet came after union minister Narayan Rane claimed Sharad Pawar had threatened the rebels; this was after Pawar said Shinde’s camp would eventually have to return to Mumbai and could then be persuaded to stand down.
“They will come and vote as per their will. If any harm comes to them, it will be difficult to go home,” Rane – an ex-Sena leader who jumped to the Congress and later the BJP – said, also appearing to taunt Raut in a later tweet.
The BJP – which has indicated it is in ‘wait-and-watch’ mode ahead of the Assembly session next month – has denied any threats to Sharad Pawar.
“No central minister is giving threats. BJP is not trying to destabilize the government. This is an internal matter of the Shiv Sena. BJP is only in a wait-and-watch position,” Raosaheb Patil Danve, the junior Railways minister, said.
Raut is leading the Sena’s pushback against Shinde, whose camp could grow to over 50 MLAs, including independent lawmakers by the end of the day today.
Shinde already has 38 MLAs – one more than needed to circumvent the anti-defection law and declare his faction to be the ‘true’ Shiv Sena.
He also has enough to help the BJP regain power, with only 16 MLAs left with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray – too few to stop Shinde from leading the Sena.
Raut seemed to alternate between conciliatory and combative messages on Thursday, first slamming Shinde for his claims about being a ‘true follower’ of Balasaheb Thackeray and then telling the rebels ‘the doors are open to you’.
This morning he told the rebels the Sena faction had yet to reveal its ‘true strength’. “Shinde faction must realize Sena workers have yet to take to the roads. Battles (like this) are fought either through law or on the roads.”
Raut also declared the party will move to disqualify 12 rebel MLAs, including Eknath Shinde, and warned them that ‘numbers are only on paper. He earlier said the Sena is in touch with 22 MLAs stashed in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam. Meanwhile, Pawar has backed the Shiv Sena and Thackeray.
Pawar, who is credited with creating the unlikely alliance between the Cong and NCP with the Sena after the 2019 election, said he believed things will change once the rebels return to Mumbai and he had confidence in Uddhav Thackeray.
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