Devendra Fadnavis can’t read Sharad Pawar’s mind even after 100 births, says Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis won't be able to read Sharad Pawar’s mind even after 100 births and targeted Union minister Amit Shah, prompting a counter by BJP's Ashish Shelar.

While Raut made jibes at Shah over his visit to Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh idol, Shelar demanded an apology from Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray alleging that the ex-chief minister had stopped public celebrations during the Ganesh festival citing COVID-19.

Raut’s remarks against Fadnavis came days after the deputy CM claimed that NCP (SP) Sharad Pawar had shortlisted three to four names for the CM’s post ahead of the state elections, but Thackeray was not one of them.

Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners Congerss, Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have said that they would contest the Maharashtra polls, likely to be held in October or November, as one unit.

Talking to reporters here, Raut said, “In 2019, did Fadnavis know what Sharad Pawar was thinking and planning? Even if he is born 100 times, Fadnavis will fail to fathom what goes on in Sharad Pawar's head. If there is any courage left with the ruling dispensation in the state, they should give a call for the election.” Sharad Pawar was instrumental in the creation of MVA to keep the BJP, then the single-largest party, out of power after the 2019 state polls.

Raut alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah orchestrated the splits in parties in Maharashtra and "even within families leading these parties".

The allegation has come in the wake of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's recent statement that society frowns upon people who break their families.

Ajit Pawar made the statement during a rally in Gadchiroli, where he tried to discourage party leader and state minister Dharmarao Baba Aatram's daughter Bhagyashri from crossing over to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).

Raut said, “Who broke political parties and families (in Maharashtra)? Modi and Shah engineered splits in political parties and even in families. They (CM Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar) fell prey to it. They should admit they were threatened, pressured, or lured to defect from their parties.” Be it the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray or Sharad Pawar’s NCP, both parties gave ample opportunities to Shinde and Ajit Pawar for many years, but they chose to defect, claimed the Rajya Sabha MP.

He criticised Shah over Manipur, accusing him of neglecting the northeastern state, and his Mumbai visit.

“Despite the fresh attacks in Manipur and the continued suffering of women, the union home minister is here in Mumbai. He (Shah) should go to Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir. What business does he have in Mumbai? He should show courage to visit Manipur,” the Sena (UBT) leader said.

At least seven persons have been killed and more than 15 injured in incidents of violence in Manipur in the last five days.

Referring to Shah’s visit to Lalbaugcha Raja, Raut said, “We need to take care as they might relocate Lalbaughcha Raja to Gujarat as they did with the major industrial projects, institutions and organisations ... Is it their plan to weaken Maharashtra and support those who plunder the state? This is not the work of the home minister but he does it.” BJP’s Mumbai chief and MLA Ashish Shelar responded to Raut’s jibes.

Shelar said Thackeray as the then CM broke the age-old tradition of public celebration of Ganesh festival during the COVID-19 outbreak.

“You were the one to separate Ganesha devotees from their beloved Bappa. Hence, Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut must apologise to Lalbaugcha Raja and all Ganesh devotees,” he said.

Asking Raut to stop “publicly exhibiting his ignorance”, the BJP leader said he had crossed all limits of decency by criticising Shah, who has been visiting Mumbai to seek the blessings of Lalbaughcha Raja even when he was not a Union minister.

Shah was not even the BJP president when he would travel to Mumbai to seek Bappa’s darshan, said Shelar, calling Raut’s “relocation of Lalbaucha Raja” comment ridiculous.

“Raut seems to have forgotten that during the tenure of Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister, the over 125-year-old tradition of ‘Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav’ was broken,” he said. Devotees were not allowed to take the darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja, said the BJP leader.

“Today, you might have forgotten that it was Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and your Sena that had plotted to stop Ganesh mandals from celebrating this festival forever. People of Maharashtra are still angry and have not forgotten it,” he said.

Shelar also slammed Raut over his comments against Fadnavis.

“It is you who is interested in knowing what is going on in one’s head … It is not our habit. The works done by Devendraji as an activist, a volunteer and a leader are immense, and they will lead Maharashtra on the path to progress in the years to come," said Shelar.

Nobody in the BJP is interested in knowing what is going on in someone’s head, he said "It is your habit to peep into others’ homes to know what’s cooking there,” Shelar added.