Out of jail, Sanjay Raut praises BJP’s Fadnavis, says will meet PM Modi

Firebrand Shiv Sena leader and Uddhav Thackeray’s aide Sanjay Raut had a word of praise for Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, a rare thing, considering the bitter rivalry between them following the Fadnavis-engineered toppling of Thackeray government in June.

Raut had been released from jail a day after court had said that his arrest in an alleged housing scam case was illegal and the probe agency ED had not given any evidence of money laundering.

“There is a new government in Maharashtra, which has taken some good decisions too. We do not oppose for the sake of opposing,” he said, “Devendra Fadnavis has taken some good decisions. I read the newspaper whenever possible (in jail). Decisions such as housing for the poor deserve praise.”

He also praised the government’s decision to give more rights to MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority). “Our government had taken away those rights. I did not like that. Mr Fadnavis has done well to restore those.”

Also read: Explained: Sanjay Raut’s case and ED’s money-laundering probe

Stating that he would meet with Fadnavis “regarding some public work”, he said, “I will also meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and tell them what is happening to me. I had read that Devendra Fadnavis said political bitterness should be reduced. I welcome his statement.”

Fadnavis, a BJP leader, had in June engineered the fall of Uddhav Thackeray government, with the support of around 40 rebel Sena MLAs, and ensured the installation of rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and himself as the Deputy CM. Raut had been sharply critical of Shinde and Fadnavis and the BJP then.

On his release from jail after 103 days on Thursday, his praise for Fadnavis took everyone by surprise. Though he also mentioned the Maharashtra government, he did not name Shinde.

He refused to comment on the court order.

Also read: All hype, no show: What Sanjay Raut’s big ‘expose’ failed to do

“The order has sent an encouraging sign across the country. I will not comment on that or on the ED. Nor will I speak on the architects of this controversy. If my incarceration made them happy, let that be so,” he said.

“In my heart I hold no grudge against anyone ever. My family suffered a lot. But such is life. We are in politics,” he added. He refused to “blame the system as a whole”.

“I do not blame any central probe agency either. When they get a chance to do good things, they should,” he said.

But later, at Thackeray’s residence, he wondered: “The question is, are probe agencies pets of the state and central governments? There is an argument for closing down the ED altogether.”

Raut met Uddhav Thackeray at his home and said he would also meet Sharad Pawar, chief of Thackeray’s ally NCP. “I thought people would forget me in three months. But I got a lot of calls since my release yesterday. Uddhav ji was regularly in touch with me. Pawar sahib also spoke to me on the phone.”