Sanjay Raut backs Aaditya for bigger role in Shiv Sena (UBT), slams defectors

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday (June 26) said his party remains strong despite the splits it has suffered, and Aaditya Thackeray has the capability to lead it.

The younger generation should take greater responsibility and the command of the party, he said.

Speaking to PTI Videos ahead of party chief Uddhav Thackeray's planned tour of the constituencies represented by the six party MPs who recently joined the rival Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Raut alleged that they switched loyalties only for money, power, and protection.

Asked about Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray's role in the party, Raut said, "The next generation should gradually take greater responsibility. For how many years will we continue to work? We have been working for 40 years. Young leaders must take command of the party, and he (Aaditya) has been doing it. He will do it officially too, he has the capability, and we will welcome him."

The leaders who left the Uddhav Thackeray-led party were not "rebels" in the real sense of the term, Raut said, arguing that the word should be reserved for freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev, and not used for politicians who cross over for money and power.

‘Did not get receipt for Rs 1 cr donation to Ram temple’

Talking to reporters, Raut alleged that his party did not get a receipt for a Rs 1 crore donation it made to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

He also claimed that the party did not receive a receipt for a silver brick it donated to the trust.

"We haven't received the receipt for Rs 1 crore. When the trust was formed, we gave a cheque of Rs 1 crore. We gave the first silver brick weighing more than 25 kgs," he said.

Raut's allegations came in the wake of the Uttar Pradesh government setting up a Special Investigation Team to probe allegations of embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Also Read: 'Embezzlement of donations' at Ram temple: FIR lodged after SIT's preliminary report

The First Information Report (FIR) in the case named Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav who was said to be a former driver of the Trust's general secretary Champat Rai. Eight persons named in the FIR over the alleged embezzlement of donations have been arrested so far.

Raut alleged that the embezzled money was used to "buy" MPs and MLAs.

Attempts were made to shield Champat Rai and local BJP functionaries, the Rajya Sabha member alleged, claiming that they had purchased land at cheaper rates and sold it to the trust at higher rates.

‘MPs sold themselves for crores of rupees’

Uddhav Thackeray's tour was part of an outreach to directly explain the party's position to voters and workers in the constituencies of the MPs who defected, said Raut.

The MPs "sold themselves for crores of rupees", he said, claiming that the Sena cadre remains with Uddhav Thackeray.

When asked if the body language of the six MPs showed that they were confident, Raut challenged them to face the public. "...We will see how confident they are after our tour...When you get Z-plus security after betrayal, your confidence increases," he said.

Asked why those who quit the Sena (UBT) always blame him for their decision, Raut said, "Because I am loyal to the party and Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology. They also tried to break me many times. I had tried to stop the earlier defections, including Eknath Shinde's, by warning them that power is temporary, and they should not commit the sin of breaking Balashaheb's party."

Also Read: At 60, Shiv Sena battles its biggest survival crisis; will the tiger roar again?

Political splits are driven by the lure of money and fear of investigation agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Rajya Sabha member said.

"Just give us ED and CBI for one hour, then we will show them," he said.

Asked about Mumbai North-East MP Sanjay Dina Patil, who was among the six lawmakers who joined the Shinde-led Sena, and with whom he had a slanging match over the past few days, Raut said not a single party worker joined Patil and others in their defection.

Political parties break, but it never happened in the past that a person who split a party seized its control, said Raut, apparently referring to Eknath Shinde obtaining legal recognition for his faction as the real Shiv Sena after the party split in 2022.

Asked about his stand on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Raut said constitutional matters like this should be debated, and a government with a majority has the right to take a decision on it. The BJP-led Maharashtra government told the legislative assembly earlier this week that it was going to form a committee to examine the implementation of the UCC in the state.

(With agency inputs)