Column in Saamna claims BJP tried to sabotage Gadkari, draws ire

The claims were made in ‘Rokthok’, a Sunday column written by Raut in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamna. Raut is also the editor of Saamna

MUMBAI: In a column which drew the ire of the state BJP, the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut claimed that the BJP had made many attempts to sabotage its own candidate, union minister Nitin Gadkari. He also declared that after June 4, PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah would no longer have much support from their party.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut

The claims were made in ‘Rokthok’, a Sunday column written by Raut in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamna. Raut is also the editor of Saamna.

“There were efforts made to ensure that Gadkari would be defeated. But when they realised that was not possible, Devendra Fadnavis went to campaign for him,” said Raut in his column.

The column also claimed that if Amit Shah got power, he would send UP CM Yogi Adityanath home. “Hence Yogi’s supporters were constantly saying, ‘Yogi ko bachana hai toh Modi ko jaana hai’,” wrote Raut. “As a result of this, the BJP will lose 30 seats in Uttar Pradesh. On June 4, people will see the results. Yogi supporters have decided to throw out Modi and Shah.”

The column stated that Maharashtra had fought Modi and Shah, and would play a leading role in bringing about a revolution in New Delhi. It also claimed that CM Eknath Shinde had distributed a lot of money in the polls, around ₹25 to 30 crore to each constituency. There was a separate budget, said Raut, to get some candidates defeated, and there were attempts made to defeat candidates fielded by the NCP led by Ajit Pawar.

“The government that rose from corruption (buying MLAs) has also corrupted people,” said Raut. “But Maharashtra cannot be bought, and the Mahayuti alliance will be defeated in at least 32 seats. There will surely be a change, and this is obvious from Modi’s body language and his speeches.” The column also declared that Modi and Shah had turned the country into a prison and they had made democracy a prisoner as well.

Raut said that Modi won the 2019 polls because of the Pulwama deaths and would lose the 2024 polls due to the curses of those who died. “The souls of the jawans who died in Pulwama will get mukti now,” he wrote.

The state BJP reacted angrily to the column. “Raut is an employee of Uddhav Thackeray but he works for Sharad Pawar and writes his columns in a confused state,” said Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. “The BJP is not a party but a family, and Raut will not understand this. Modiji, Amit bhai, Yogiji, Nitinji and Devendraji are part of the same parivar. For them, the nation comes first and self later. But for Raut, it is Sharad Pawar first. In 2019, Raut had tried desperately to be the CM but he was not successful. If he has the guts, let him write a column on this.”

BJP MLC Prasad Lad said, “Raut writes columns under the influence of some intoxicant. He needs counselling and treatment from a psychiatrist.”