BJP leaders kept trying for Shiv Sena (UBT)'s support on Waqf bill till last minute, claims Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday claimed that top Central and Maharashtra BJP leaders were in touch with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party seeking its support for the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill.

Raut alleged the legislation was brought by the government to bring corruption into the legal framework and grab Rs 2 lakh crore of land for "dear industrialists of the BJP".

He claimed that the BJP pressured the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janta Dal till the last minute to support the bill in Lok Sabha. Though the BJD opposed the bill, it didn't issue any whip to its members and asked them to vote according to their conscience.

"They did the same with us but we didn't agree. Till the last minute, senior BJP leaders from Maharashtra and Delhi were in touch with Shiv Sena (UBT)," the Rajya Sabha member told reporters.

The bill has not been passed by a huge majority, and the government did not even get 300 votes. "Our (Opposition's) figure would have swelled but some of our members were not present or ill," Raut added.

The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill Thursday night, a day after Lok Sabha had given the contentious draft law, which was strongly opposed by a united opposition.