People fear BJP will take Lalbaug Ka Raja to Gujarat: Sanjay Raut criticises Amit Shah's Mumbai visit

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 9: Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut voiced strong objections following the arrival of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP officials in Mumbai for a two-day visit on Monday. Raut's comments were directed at the BJP and its leadership, accusing them of undermining Mumbai's identity and interests.
Raut began his address by speaking about Shah's frequent visits to Lalbaugcha Raja, a key location in Mumbai known for its Ganesh festival celebrations. "Amit Shah is the Home Minister of the country. He is the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is everything. He always comes to Lalbaugcha often. People from all over the country come to see the 'Lalbaugcha Raja,' and they should come too. But the way the wealth of the King of Lalbagh is increasing--just a day before yesterday, I saw that an industrialist gave him a gold crown worth Rs. 17 crores," Raut said.
The Shiv Sena leader added, "The prestige of the God does not increase because of the faith of the devotees who come. God is God regardless of whether gold, silver, money, or anything else is given. He does not become God by receiving anything, but people do all this with faith." Raut suggested that the BJP's actions are affecting Mumbai's status and resources, claiming, "Whatever we have seen, Amit Shah ji and Modi ji have taken all of it to Gujarat. Whether it is industry, trade institutions, or anything else, whether it is our land, they have taken everything to Gujarat because it concerns Mumbai's prestige."
Raut then expressed his concerns that the BJP might even move the Ganesh festival celebrations to Gujarat. He said, "This time when Amit Shah came, people were afraid that he would take the festival of our King of Lalbagh to Gujarat. He can do anything." Raut underscored Mumbai's importance to Maharashtra and its people, adding, "The King of Lalbagh is the pride of Mumbai and Maharashtra. We have a bond of faith with him. It cannot be broken, but the business wing of the BJP can do anything."
Raut also took issue with Shah's recent remarks about changing the city's name from Bombay to Mumbai. "Just look at what Amit Shah ji said yesterday--that my 'mota bhai had a mota hand' (big brother had a big hand) in changing Bombay to Mumbai. The newspaper Mumbai Samachar is 150 years old, which means it is Mumbai. At that time, Balasaheb Thackeray ji had started a movement to change Bombay to Mumbai," Raut added. He further criticised Shah's claims, asserting that such statements undermine the contributions of many individuals and parties involved in the name-change movement.
Addressing the broader issue, Raut said, "Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra. Marathi people have the first right over it, and 105 Marathi people have sacrificed their lives for this Mumbai. But you people are trying to break this Mumbai from us. If you don't have the courage to break it, then you are making Mumbai poor. You are taking everything back to your state. That is why we are afraid. This is the feeling in the minds of the people."
Raut also criticised the BJP's approach to election campaigning, particularly their distribution of burkhas. He accused the party of hypocrisy, stating, "Distribute burkhas to their 40 MLAs also because their 40 MLAs will have to fight the upcoming elections in burkhas only because people will beat them with shoes. Look, they can do anything to win the elections. These are hypocrites. Now their MLAs are distributing burkhas, and their leader there, Narendra Modi, has started a war against burkhas."
Raut also commented on Ajit Pawar's political future, predicting, "Ajit Pawar is losing the Baramati assembly elections. This is for sure. He also knows this. He has broken his party. His father and his father-like Sharad Pawar sahab gave everything to him and put a dagger in his back."