Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday described the recent joint interview of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray as a moment of rare political harmony that echoed across Maharashtra like a powerful public performance.
Addressing a press conference, Raut said that for the first time, journalists witnessed both leaders sharing the same platform, engaging in what he called “Maharashtra’s interview with Maharashtra.” He said the interaction felt less like a routine media event and more like a well-orchestrated concert, where the concerns of the state took centre stage. “The questions people have, the problems Maharashtra is facing, both leaders spoke clearly and fearlessly on every issue,” Raut said.
Launching a sharp attack on the BJP, Raut alleged that institutions such as the Election Commission, the judiciary and the administrative machinery were being misused. “The irony is that the officials appointed are Marathi, yet it is a Marathi hand that is being forced to sign the death warrant of a Marathi person. This is the BJP’s political craft,” he alleged.
Raut also targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, accusing them of abandoning governance while remaining preoccupied with political travel and rhetoric. He questioned the government’s ideological consistency, particularly on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. “If Savarkar’s ideology matters so much, why is someone who openly opposes it still sitting in the cabinet?” Raut asked.
Taking his criticism further, Raut accused the BJP of practising double standards. He alleged that the party has no hesitation in forging alliances of convenience, citing instances from Mira-Bhayandar and Ambernath. He claimed that the BJP has extended support to AIMIM in certain regions, while elsewhere partnering with Congress. “Today it’s BJP with AIMIM, tomorrow BJP with Congress. Isn’t this the very politics they accuse others of?” he said.
Responding to questions about Congress also aligning with the BJP in some places, Raut said such alliances were equally wrong. However, he said it was the BJP’s conduct that was most surprising. “They spoke of making India Congress-free. Instead, they absorbed half of Congress in Maharashtra and aligned with AIMIM in the remaining areas,” he remarked.
He also said the BJP appears willing to align with anyone for power. “Whoever offers a pillow, the BJP is ready to sleep beside them,” he said, using a sharp metaphor to underline what he called the party’s opportunistic politics.
