After free air, Sanjay Raut breathes fire

Rashmi Thackeray welcomes Sanjay Raut at Matoshree, the family’s Kalanagar home, on Thursday

Uddhav Sena leader Sanjay Raut has resumed talking on behalf of the party. On the first day after his release from a city jail, he delivered a mix that included criticism of the "unconstitutional government" and willingness to meet Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who according to the Rajya Sabha MP, was running the Shinde sarkar.

I have read that Fadnavis wants bitterness in politics to go and communication between the parties resumed. There is nothing wrong in meeting the DCM as a public representative who may have some issues of public importance to discuss," said Raut.

"I have seen the state of affairs of the jail. I have seen the working conditions of the employees. I will tell Fadnavis about it," said Raut at a press conference he addressed jointly with party president Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's Kalanagar home where the MP was given a traditional welcome by Thackeray's wife Rashmi.

Thackeray said Raut is not just a party colleague but also a close friend

Thackeray said Raut's bail order established that the agencies were being used as pawns by the central government against opposition leaders across the country.

Raut's agenda is to meet Fadnavis as well as Union home minister Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi. He said he wants to tell them what had been done to him in the past. The statements prompted many to think if they were a signal for rapprochement or part of a new strategy.

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As he kept people guessing about the BJP, Raut clearly marked the Shinde Sena as a rival. He said that the CM was a puppet in the BJP's hand. "There is no other Shiv Sena, but one that Uddhav Thackeray leads."

Thackeray said Raut was not only his party colleague but a very close friend. "He fought for the party and will continue to do so though he may again be trapped in a forged case."

Commenting on Raut's willingness to meet him, Fadnavis said he gave time to whosoever wished to meet him. "Diluting the bitterness in politics isn't one party's work," he said, suggesting that all parties needed to think on similar lines.