Mumbai, June 26 (IANS) In a major political flashpoint, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday launched a scathing attack on rebel Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Dina Patil after the latter allegedly abused and threatened to assault journalists on camera.
Sanjay Dina Patil, who recently defected from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) to join Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, has sparked widespread public outrage across the state for his aggressive outburst against media personnel.
Reacting strongly to the incident, Raut alleged that Maharashtra is currently witnessing an unprecedented surge in threats, extortions, and contract killings under government protection. He said if journalists are being threatened and the state’s Chief Minister is simply laughing it off, it is a deeply serious matter. Raut urged journalists across the country to unite and raise their voices against this intimidation.
He reminded the media of its constitutional importance, adding that the judiciary and the press are the pillars of democracy, but those at the Centre do not respect it. Raut drew a sharp historical parallel to highlight the changing political climate in the state.
He recalled that years ago, there was a fierce dispute between the undivided Shiv Sena and Nikhil Wagle, the then-editor of Mahanagar, but even back then, they never issued death threats. He questioned where that unity has gone today, noting that journalists from across the country had gathered outside Shiv Sena Bhavan to demand action following an assault.
Raut demanded that the Mumbai Police and the Home Minister act without any political bias. He condemned the language used by the rebel MP, noting that talking about throwing bombs or sending people to the cemetery on camera is tarnishing the reputation of Maharashtra. “Our Maharashtra was never like this,” he lamented.
Responding to counter-allegations from the Shinde camp that Raut himself frequently uses abusive language, the Sena (UBT) leader challenged his detractors to show him one instance where he used an abusive word against a professional.
He said he called the defectors “traitors” (gaddars) because that is what they are, and one cannot substitute words like “Mahatma” or “Acharya” for traitors.
He further targeted the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the lack of action, stating that if the Deputy Chief Minister cannot understand the difference between calling someone a traitor and issuing a murder threat, he has no right to hold his position.
Raut demanded that an SIT (Special Investigation Team) be set up to find out where their sense of judgment has gone.
Without explicitly naming Patil, Raut delivered a veiled warning regarding Patil’s past claims about being involved in a retaliatory killing. Patil had previously claimed that his family “killed five people” when his father was attacked. Rebunking any political undertones to that past incident, Raut claimed that they hold the entire record of who killed whom and why.
He said that it was not a political or Shiv Sena dispute but a deadly conflict between two local illegal liquor den operators that resulted in murder.
Wrapping up his offensive, Raut trained his guns on Mumbai’s top cop. He said Mumbai has a highly capable Police Commissioner, and if a criminal lawmaker refuses to respect the law, the police must make them listen.
He concluded that this kind of lawless language is typically seen in Bihar, and, unfortunately, the situation has deteriorated to the point where Maharashtra has become like Bihar.
–IANS
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