Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Mumbai: Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut on Thursday sparked off a new controversy by describing Operation Sindoor against Pakistan as a failure.
“As I have said earlier, Operation Sindoor was a failure. However, in the interests of the nation, we opposition members are not speaking about it,” said Raut, a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
“Why Operation Sindoor was needed…terrorists removed the sindoor from the forehead of our mothers, sisters and daughters,” he said, holding Shah responsible for the Pahalgam terrorist attack on tourists.
“Why did Pahalgam happen?…it is solely and solely because of Shah…he should resign…in fact, Modi should have sought his resignation…he has been unsuccessful as Home Minister,” said Raut, who is also the chief spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Raut questioned as to why the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam incident had not yet been caught. “Where are they….Where have you hidden the terrorists involved in Operation Sindoor? In Gujarat, in Dahod?…Modi was in Dahod yesterday….he was roaring from the place where (Mughal emperor) Aurangzeb was born,” Raut said.
The journalist-politician demanded the resignation of Shah and a special session of the Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.
“Shah is trying to teach us…he is travelling across Maharashtra…in Nanded, he visited the home of ‘Adarsh-fame’ Ashok Chavan and had dinner…they had aamras-puri and dhokla…see the photos,” Raut said referring to the Adarsh scam after which Chavan had to resign as Maharashtra Chief Minister.
“They came out with a white paper on the Adarsh issue, a defence scam,” he noted.
“They are targeting us…the BJP broke the Shiv Sena as Uddhav Thackeray did not fall on their feet,” he said and referred to the time when Balasaheb helped Modi, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat and Shah.
Raut's comments came in wake of Shah's remarks that had late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray been alive, he would have hugged Modi for Operation Sindoor.
“They were in Nanded…yesterday, Mumbai was sinking because of rains…who is incharge of Mumbai’s administration as there is no elected body…it is (Deputy Chief Minister) Eknath Shinde…who is the Urban Development Minister,” said Raut about Shinde, who became the Chief Minister heading the MahaYuti-NDA government after toppling the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi.
“The BJP is in power in the Centre for 11 years…in the state they are in power for three-and-a-half years…still for anything and everything they would blame Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh,” he said.
“Veer Savarkar spoke about Akhand Bharat…but the armed forces were asked to stop at the orders of (United States) President Donald Trump,” he said.