Sena MP Sanjay Raut says will join Cong yatra, Shinde faction says he's working against Balasaheb's ideals
Jan 17, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 17 : Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said he will participate in the Congress' ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.
Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday, Raut said he will join the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on January 20 and 21 during his three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
He added that he will also meet Sikh representatives from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and press for minority status for the community in the UT.
He also stated that he will meet the Kashmiri pandits, who have been holding protests in the wake of recent terror attacks targeting the community.
The rival faction of the Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, latched onto Raut's remark, claiming that he was working against the ideals of the party's founder Balasaheb Thackeray.
Taking a jibe at the Uddhav Sena MP, Shambhuraj Desai, a MLA from the rival Shinde faction, said, "Balasaheb Thackeray had once said he would never go with the Congress. But today, they (members of the Uddhav faction) are working against his ideal and stand. Sanjay Raut is working against Balasaheb's ideals. There's no debate anymore on which is the real Shiv Sena."
Responding to Desai's remark, Raut said, "One doesn't need to ask whose Shiv Sena it is in Mumbai. Shiv Sena belongs to Balasaheb Thackeray. There is only one Shiv Sena."
On the Maharashtra government's recent statements on proposed investments to the state, Raut said, "Only when an investment actually comes can it be acknowledged as one. Just the fact that the Prime Minister is visiting Mumbai doesn't mean there will be investments."
