Raut questions Fadnavis's 'silence' on Shiv Sena minister's 'cash bag' video

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday questioned Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's 'silence' on the video of Shiv Sena Minister Sanjay Shirsat sitting in a room purportedly with a bag containing cash.

A video of Shirsat sitting in a room along with a partially open bag containing what looked like bundles of notes went viral on Friday. The minister, however, rubbished the claim that it was a money bag and insisted that it contained only clothes.

Raut said the minister should open the bag if it contained clothes, but it was evident what it contained.

"People from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have shown how badly the government is being run. Why isn't CM Fadnavis speaking about it (Shirsat's video with cash bag)?" he told reporters.

The Sena (UBT) leader further said that Shiv Sena legislator Sanjay Gaikwad should have been slapped with an attempt to murder case for his assault on an employee at the MLA hostel canteen in south Mumbai.

Police on Friday registered a non-cognisable offence against Gaikwad and his supporter for the assault that took place earlier this week.

The action followed a statement by Fadnavis that the police need not wait for a formal complaint to initiate a probe.

Raut said the government should not defend criminals.

"This is an attempt to murder and not a non-cognisable offence," he said.

He said the struggle against the Shinde-led Sena will continue.

"Our enmity (with the Shiv Sena) is such that we can't see eye to eye. They are peons of Delhi and enemies of Maharashtra," he alleged. The Rajya Sabha MP termed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill 2024, an attempt to crush the voices of activists.

The Maharashtra Legislative Council on Friday passed a bill which seeks to curb unlawful activities of Left-wing extremist outfits and make offences under it cognisable and non-bailable, a day after it received approval in the assembly.

The BJP has brought the bill as it is scared of those who work for the tribals, Raut alleged while dubbing it as inhuman.