Nitesh Rane jumps on 'World Traitors Day' controversy wagon

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane asked 27 July to be declared as the ‘World Traitors’ Day’, as it happens to be Uddhav Thackeray's birthdate.

Hours after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) demanded that the United Nations declare 20 June as the ‘World Traitors’ Day’, BJP MLA Nitesh Rane asked 27 July to be declared as the ‘World Traitors’ Day’.

27 June happens to be the birthday of former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray.

Over the last couple days - during the Shiv Sena (UBT) plenary and the party’s foundation day - Thackeray, his son Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut and Leader of Opposition in the Council Ambadas Danve had demanded that 20 June be declared as ‘‘World Traitors’ Day’.

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On Thursday, Raut also wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in this regard.

Incidentally, Raut's letter comes on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York where Modi is scheduled to lead a session on the 9th International Yoga Day on 21 June.

In his letter, Raut said: “On 20 June, 2022, a group of 40 legislators from our Shiv Sena left us after being instigated by the BJP. Each of them is said to have taken Rs 50-crore to defect. The BJP used all their might to ensure that Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra led by Thackeray fell.... the 40 MLAs who backstabbed Thackeray, along with 10 Independent legislators, were led by Eknath Shinde, who is now the Chief Minister.”

Raut also said that Thackeray underwent two back to back surgeries on 12 and 19 November, 2021, and that the “traitors” took advantage of this.

However, Rane, the son of Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane, said the ‘World Traitors Day’ should be commemorated on 27 June.

"Pls declare 27 July as “TRAITOR DAY” . One of the biggest traitor ever seen or experienced was born on this day . He back stabbed his own father who was one of the greatest in the history of Maharashtra as well as India. He backstabbed his own religion n a close friend like the BJP for his own dirty ambitions to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He has back stabbed Marathi Manus n earned crs of money thru corruption. So I am appealing to declare 27th July as Traitors Day as the one of the biggest traitor history has ever seen was born on this day. So the world remembers him and curses him every single day," Rane tweeted, tagging the UN.