01 January,2024 12:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sanjay Raut/ PTI
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut launched a harsh attack on the national government, accusing it of focusing primarily on development in Gujarat and branding it robbery rather than genuine progress.
According to a report in ANI, during a news conference, Raut criticised the concentration of key projects from Maharashtra and other states primarily in Gujarat, citing examples such as the Diamond Market and Vedanta Poxon shifting there while accusing Maharashtra officials of passivity. He further accused the government of attempting to undermine Maharashtra's success by moving wealth from Mumbai to Gujarat, drawing comparisons to historical exploitation similar to the conduct of the East India Company.
"I would only say that the whole country is one, development should be for the whole country, the Prime Minister belongs to the whole country, but the way big projects from Maharashtra and many other states are implemented in only one state, i.e., Gujarat, It is called robbery, not development. Diamond Market also went to Gujarat; Vedanta Poxon also went to Gujarat; and our poor government, one Chief Minister and two Deputy Chief Ministers--these dishonest people are watching with open eyes," Raut told ANI. He further stated, "You have to weaken Mumbai and take the wealth here to Gujarat, just like the East India Company used to do."
According to the report, in response to the latest rape case at IIT-BHU, Raut claimed that the accused were BJP members, mentioning Varanasi as Prime Minister Modi's seat and associating his alleged connections with the perpetrators, the report added. Raut cited the arrest of two BJP-IT cell members in the rape case, condemning the group's alleged misuse to harm others' reputations.
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"Varanasi is the constituency of Prime Minister Modi ji and is a very sacred and religious area. You are going to inaugurate the Ram temple at one place and on the other side, the people who took away the clothes of our Sita Maiya in Varanasi are your special people. You have been seen with them in photos," he said. "It came to know what is the character of BJP's IT cell. It is being used to defame others only," Sanjay Raut added.
In response to rumours that former MP Prakash Ambedkar would join the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Raut said, "The Congress Party and Nationalist Congress Party have also invited Prakash Ambedkar to Mahavikas Aghadi and have asked Uddhav Thackeray Saheb to talk to him."