Kirit Somaiya puts up front against MVA govt

Amid a tussle between the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and opposition BJP, former lawmaker and senior leader Kirit Somaiya put up a front against the Thackeray-Pawar families.

Somaiya, who was convinced to disembark from the Mahalaxmi Express at Karad in Satara district while on way to Kolhapur, said that he would not stop and will continue to expose the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government, its ministers and senior leaders.

“Who is running the government?… Who all are behind this?” Somaiya, a former MP asked, referring to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar.

Earlier, Somaiya had targeted leaders including the then home minister and senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh, Shiv Sena leader and transport minister Anil Parab, rural development minister Hasan Mushrif of NCP.

Also read: BJP leader Somaiya stopped on way to Kolhapur

Somaiya said that he would soon visit Korlai in Alibaug vis-a-vis 19 bungalows of Rashmi Thackeray, the wife of the chief minister.

Besides, he would also go to Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd, a sugar cooperative linked to Pawar’s nephew and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

The MVA, however, refuted the allegations.

"I have been seeing what is happening... it was done to prevent a law and order situation," Shiv Sena chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said, referring to Somaiya’s plan to visit Kolhapur.

"The chief minister’s office has nothing to do with it... the home department has taken a call looking at the law and order issue," he said.

Raut said that some of the “select people from the opposition” are making a “barrage of allegations” on ministers, however, it would be the courts that would take cognisance.

"There is a move to destabilise the government... however, the government is absolutely stable... we must not pay heed to such allegations,” he said.

Asked about the allegations against the chief minister’s wife and Somaiya’s plans to visit Korlai, he said: “Let them make allegations... let him go to Mars and find out.”

According to him, allegations are being made against prime minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.

"There are allegations against BJP chief ministers, BJP-ruled states," he said.

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