Seven members, including NCP (SP) chief Pawar, are retiring from the Rajya Sabha in April. The opposition MVA can potentially send one candidate to the Rajya Sabha due to its depleted strength.
Along with Pawar, the Rajya Sabha stint will also end for Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, Fauzia Khan of NCP (SP), Ramdas Athawale of RPI (Athawale), BJP‘s Bhagwat Karad, Congress’ Rajani Patil and NCP’s Dhairysheel Patil.
Earlier this week, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray appeared to stake his party’s claim to the MVA’s lone winnable seat in the Upper House of Parliament. Considering the numbers in the assembly, the Rajya Sabha seat “belongs” to his party, and “talks will definitely happen in that direction in the MVA”, he had said.
Talking to reporters at Malegaon in Nashik district on Saturday, Raut said, “I do not have the details and I am very much attached to the party’s decision policy. If Sharad Pawar wishes to contest the elections, then what – that is the only question before us. Whoever is nominated by the Shiv Sena (UBT), then we will make efforts for the victory. If Sharad Pawar himself expresses his wish then we will have to discuss it. I have said nothing more than that. I have not taken anyone’s name.” On February 14, Raut had claimed that Pawar wanted to contest the Rajya Sabha polls, and MVA will hold discussions about it.
Asked about Aaditya Thackeray’s remarks that Priyanka Chaturvedi be given another opportunity to avoid complications if the two NCP factions come together, Raut said Thackeray was a senior leader and Maharashtra should consider what he has stated.
On the controversy surrounding the display of a portrait of Tipu Sultan in Malegaon deputy mayor’s office, Raut alleged that the BJP was selectively invoking the 18th-century ruler to inflame communal tensions.”BJP leaders should first listen to what former President Ram Nath Kovind had said about Tipu Sultan in the Karnataka assembly. Even in Mumbai, the current mayor as well as Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam, had supported resolutions to name certain streets and gardens after Tipu Sultan when they were corporators. Now they have suddenly changed their stand. BJP can take any issue to start a Hindu-Muslim conflict,” he said.
It was a fact that Tipu Sultan fought against British rule and was killed in a battle (against them), but the allegations of forced conversions were also part of the record and nobody is supporting him for that, Raut added.
“But BJP has supported Tipu Sultan earlier and now wants to stoke a political controversy,” he said.
Responding to Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal’s claim that Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators did not support the Congress in appointing its mayor in Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, Raut termed the allegation as “wrong” and attributed the outcome to internal factionalism within the Congress.
He said a high-level meeting was held in Delhi to resolve the differences between two groups in the party, but they could not reach an understanding.
Raut also took a swipe at the BJP over allegations by its leader Kirit Somaiya that Bangladeshi nationals had encroached on railways’ land in Mumbai.
Listing former railway ministers in the BJP regime, including Ram Naik, Nitish Kumar, Suresh Prabhu and current minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, he sought to know what action was taken by them to remove the alleged encroachments.
He further targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying he had served three terms as chief minister and longer as home minister.
“What has he done so far? Just levelling allegations does not have any meaning. What is the purpose of a state government? It should solve these issues. Or is it only an election gambit raised during campaigns?” Raut asked.
He said issues such as alleged encroachments fell under the home department, and accused the BJP of raising such matters to divert attention from more pressing topics.
Raut also said a large number of girls had gone missing from Maharashtra in the past year and urged the state home minister to focus on ensuring women’s safety rather than “indulging in breaking politicians”.
