Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday emphasised on Opposition unity and need to defeat the BJP in the upcoming civic polls in Maharashtra as he asked the Marathi leadership in the Congress to see the "impending danger" to Mumbai and "save" the city.
Raut's comments came after Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap's remarks that the Grand Old Party will not ally either with the Shiv Sena (UBT) or the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the Mumbai civic polls.
The Rajya Sabha member maintained that if his party has to talk about a pre-poll alliance, it will approach the central leadership of the Congress.
Talking to reporters here, Raut said the Opposition needs to defeat the BJP and "save" Mumbai.
Congress leaders have to understand the history of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti (which fought for creation of a new state consisting of Marathi-speaking areas) where all parties came together to save the city, he noted.
"I will not express any opinion on who is saying what. The Congress is our ally of the INDIA bloc and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The INDIA bloc and MVA do not exist because of one party. There are other parties in it like the Congress," Raut stressed.
The Congress' Marathi leadership must seriously think of "impending danger" to Mumbai, he said.
Raut was responding to comments by Jagtap, a former Mumbai Congress president, that his party will have no truck with the MNS or the Shiv Sena (UBT) for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
The MVA comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP).
"If anyone has taken a different position over the BMC or local body polls then it is their lookout. We will not take any stand or make any statement that will put our allies in trouble. Raj Thackeray has an independent party. We have to defeat the BJP and save Mumbai from going into the jaws of (the) Adani (group)," he added.
The Congress must understand this is a fight to "save" democracy, the Constitution and Mumbai. Marathi 'manoos' (Marathi-speaking people) will view favourably if Opposition parties stood united, averred the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader.
Raut claimed the INDIA bloc was created to make Congress MP Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister.
In a dig at the local Congress leadership, Raut said, "If we have to say anything (on pre-poll alliance) we will talk to Rahul Gandhi, (Congress president) Mallikarjun Kharge, (AICC general secretary) K C Venugopal, (AICC in-charge of Maharashtra) Ramesh Chennithala. There has been no such discussion on this with these four senior leaders." Notably, Raut on October 13 said he had held discussions with the Congress leadership, including Venugopal, on "certain issues", alluding to the MNS' inclusion in the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Taking a dig at the Congress over the impasse in Mahagatbandhan in Bihar on allocation of assembly seats among allies, the Rajya Sabha MP asked if there is a Raj or Uddhav Thackeray in the poll-bound state, where the Congress and the RJD are contesting against each other in several constituencies?