Page 2 - Sanjay Raut

Raut sends notice to Narayan Rane for 'baseless allegations' against him

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said he has sent a legal notice to Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narayan Rane for making "baseless allegations" against him on public platforms. Raut said Rane should prove his allegations or else apologise to him. "Narayan Rane has been making baseless allegations against me and Shiv Sena. He should prove his charge or else apologise. I have sent a legal notice to him through my lawyer Sarthak Shetty. Jai Maharashtra," Raut said in a tweet. Rane, one of the bitter critics of former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and his faction of the Shiv Sena, has been engaged in a war of words with Raut. Of late, the verbal duel between the two leaders became uglier and more personal. Rane, a former chief minister, had quit the Sena over his differences with Thackeray.

Hearing in money-laundering case against Sanjay Raut adjourned till Feb 27

Rajya Sabha member Raut was present before special judge R N Rokade on Tuesday

Have full faith in EC: Sanjay Raut on row over Shiv Sena's poll symbol

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said their faction has presented its case for control of the party's poll symbol "bow and arrow" before the Election Commission

Maha govt on ventilator support, won't last till February: Sanjay Raut

The Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra is on ventilator support and will fall by February, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said here on Saturday. He said if the "judiciary is not pressured, then 16 MLAs (of the Shinde faction, which is also called Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena) will be disqualified". The case pertaining to the split in the Sena into the Uddhav Thackeray and Shinde factions in June last year and demands for disqualification under anti-defection laws is currently underway in the Supreme Court. On January 10, the apex court will hear a batch of petitions, including one seeking the disqualification of 16 MLAs from the Shinde camp. "This illegal government is on ventilator support and it will not see February. If the judiciary is not pressured, then 16 MLAs (of the Shinde faction) will be disqualified soon, said Raut. Accusing the state government, which also includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, of corruption, Raut said the Opposition had sought the resignation of .

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut labels Adityanath's roadshow as 'political biz'

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut questioned the need for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to conduct a roadshow in Mumbai and termed it as 'political business', here on Thursday.

If Rahul's aura continues this year, political change likely in 2024: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed last year gave a new "aura" to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's leadership and if the trend continues in 2023, the country may see a political change in the next general elections. In his weekly column Rokhthok in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Raut also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should not sow "seeds of hatred and divisiveness." The Rajya Sabha member said the Ram temple issue has been settled, so no votes can be sought on the matter. "Hence, a new 'love jihad' angle is being explored. Is this weapon of 'love jihad' being used to win elections and create fear among Hindus?" he asked. Referring to the death of actor Tunisha Sharma last month and the murder of Shraddha Walkar allegedly by her boyfriend, Raut asserted these were not cases of "love jihad", but maintained that no woman from any community or religion should face atrocities. "Love jihad" is a term often used by right-wing activists

Won't demand UT status for Karnataka border areas if injustice stops: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said his party would not demand the Union Territory status for border areas in Karnataka if the government in that state treated the local Marathi-speaking population fairly. After Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray demanded that disputed areas in Karnataka's border region, which Maharashtra has been claiming, be declared as a UT pending the Supreme Court's decision, some leaders in the southern state hit back saying that Mumbai be made a UT. "We demand that Belagavi and the surrounding Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka be declared as a Union Territory because of the atrocities against Marathi people, their language, their culture," Raut told reporters here. "If the Karnataka government and local organisations stop doing injustice, we will take back our demand,'' the Rajya Sabha MP added. "In Mumbai, Kannadiga people have no complaint against Marathi people. Those who say Mumbai should be made a Union Territory are fools," Raut added.

Sena's Sanjay Raut meets NCP's Anil Deshmukh, says latter is innocent

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Friday met Nationalist Congress Party leader Anil Deshmukh, who was released on bail a couple of days ago after spending more than a year in jail. On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court had refused to further stay its order granting Deshmukh bail in a corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), leading to the former state home minister walking out of Mumbai's Arthur Road prison on Wednesday. "Deshmukh is innocent. Like him, I have also suffered injustice due to misuse of central agencies. Never before have political opponents been treated in such a brutal manner," Raut told reporters after meeting the 73-year-old NCP leader. Raut, who was arrested on August 1 in a money laundering case related to the redevelopment of a chawl in suburban Goregaon in Mumbai, was released on bail on November 9. The court had pulled up the Enforcement Directorate probing the case and had termed Raut's arrest as a "witch-hunt" and ...

Oppn is going to target Maharashtra cabinet, not just few ministers: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the opposition would be cornering the entire Maharashtra cabinet over corruption and not just one or two ministers. He feels sympathy for deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who has to defend his "corrupt" colleagues, Raut said, speaking to reporters here. The opposition is not going to target only a couple of ministers in the Eknath Shinde-Fadnavis cabinet but the entire cabinet is going to be in trouble. I am sympathetic to Fadnavis because he has to defend those who are mired in corruption, the Rajya Sabha MP said. Earlier, Raut's comment that his party "would drop a couple of bomb-shells" during the ongoing winter session had gone viral. The opposition Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress targeted agriculture minister Abdul Sattar after the Bombay High Court last week issued him a notice over the transfer of 37 acres of common village land to a private person in Washim district. A similar allegation was also levelled against ...

2022 saw political slugfests in Maha courtrooms, cases on alleged Maoists

Political turmoil in Maharashtra spilled over to the courts in 2022 with the arrests of leaders like Sanjay Raut, Nawab Malik and independent MP from Amravati Navneet Rana in different cases and subsequent legal battles over their bail applications. The courts also dealt with litigation related to the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case of 2017 with some of the accused getting relief. In February, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former minister in the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government Nawab Malik moved the Bombay High Court, seeking to quash an alleged money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate. The ED case is related to a land deal in Mumbai in which associates of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim were involved. Malik's plea is still pending. In March, the ED arrested Malik in the case and subsequently a special court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases rejected his bail applications. Malik has now moved the High

'Like China, we will enter Karnataka,' says Sanjay Raut over border issue

Amid simmering tension over the border issue, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut sparked a fresh controversy by saying, "We will enter Karnataka like China has entered the country"

PM mediates in Ukraine war but ignores Maharashtra-Karnataka issue: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that on the one hand Prime Minister Narendra Modi mediates in the Russia-Ukraine war, while on the other he turns a blind eye to the simmering Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, which is "not a sign of a good politician". In his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in the party mouthpiece Saamana, Raut also said that the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka was a struggle for humanity, and not a fight between people and governments of the two states. Maharashtra has been long claiming Belagavi and surrounding border areas in north Karnataka as they have a sizable Marathi-speaking population. The decades-old border dispute resurfaced again after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai recently claimed that some villages in Sangli district in Maharashtra have passed a resolution to become a part of the southern state owing to lack of basic facilities there. "The struggle of the Marathi-speaking population in Belagavi and nearby ..

PMLA case: HC to hear ED's plea against bail granted to Raut on Dec 12

The Bombay High Court on Monday said it would hear on December 12 the application filed by the Enforcement Directorate seeking cancellation of bail granted to Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case. Apart from the Shiv Sena leader, the ED has also challenged the bail granted to co-accused Pravin Raut. Last week, a single bench of Justice M S Karnik had recused itself from hearing the matter. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for ED, on Monday mentioned the matter before another single bench of Justice Anuja Prabhudessai and sought urgent hearing. Justice Prabhudessai posted the matter for hearing on December 12. Sanjay Raut and Pravin Raut were granted bail by a special court on November 9. They were arrested in a money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment project in Goregaon in Mumbai. The ED moved HC on the same day and sought an urgent interim stay on the bail order. The HC had, at the time, refused to pass any inte

CM Shinde promises Assam Bhavan in Maharashtra; Raut says it already exists

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said he has approved of his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma's request for the construction of an Assam Bhavan in Navi Mumbai. Similarly, a Maharashtra Bhavan will come up in Assam, Shinde said after a meeting with Sarma in Guwahati. However, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut said the Assam Bhavan already exists in Navi Mumbai and while every state wants a land here, Maharashtra does not have a place in other states. The meeting between the Maharashtra CM and Sarma took place on Sunday in the same hotel in Guwahati where Shinde and other rebel MLAs from the Shiv Sena stayed for 11 days before toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. A statement from Shinde's office said the two leaders discussed strengthening mutual cooperation between the two states in the field of industries, trade and tourism. Shinde, his ministers and MPs along with their families visited

Sanjay Raut praises Rahul for inquiring about his health during Yatra

After differences emerged between Rahul Gandhi and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction over the Cong leader's comment on Savarkar, Sanjay Raut appreciated Wayanad MP for enquiring about his health

After Rahul's phone call, Sanjay Raut says such gestures becoming rare

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said he received a call from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi who enquired about his health, and claimed such gestures were becoming rare in times of "political bitterness". Raut said Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact initiative underway from September 7, is getting a massive response because he is focussing on love and compassion. The Rajya Sabha member's praise for Gandhi comes at the time when the latter has been facing flak for his remarks on freedom fighter V D Savarkar. Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray last week said his party has immense respect for Savarkar and they do not approve of Gandhi's remarks about the late Hindutva ideologue. Gandhi recently called Savarkar a symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had also claimed that Savarkar helped the British rulers and wrote a mercy petition to them out of fear. Raut, who was recently grant

Positive energy generated due to Yatra undone by Rahul's criticism: Raut

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that the positive energy generated due to the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra has been undone by Rahul Gandhi's criticism of freedom fighter V D Savarkar. In his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in the party mouthpiece Saamana, Rajya Sabha member Raut questioned why Gandhi was raking up issues which touch the people's emotional chord and giving the BJP a chance on a platter to divert attention. During a press conference in Maharashtra as part of his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi recently called Savarkar a symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Gandhi had also claimed that the late Hindutva ideologue helped the British rulers and wrote a mercy petition to them out of fear, the remarks that drew criticism and triggered protests. Raut, who was recently granted bail in a money laundering case, said, ''I spent three months in jail. Many freedom fighters were lodged in the

'Why are you in govt with BJP': Raut asks Shinde, demands Guv's removal

Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday demanded the removal of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over an "old idol" remark on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Sanjay Raut asks BJP to protest against Guv for his 'old idol' remark

Calling Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj an "insult" of the state, Sanjay Raut on Saturday asked the BJP leaders to protest against him

Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP MPs predict mid-term Assembly polls in Maharashtra

NCP MP Sunil Tatkare and Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut and Vinayak Raut have expressed the likelihood of early elections in view of the "unstable" political situation in the state.