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Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai on Wednesday asked Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who was released from a Mumbai jail on bail in a money laundering case last month, to “control” his tongue if he has to avoid “taking rest” again.
Desai, who is the state Excise Minister, was targeting Raut for his criticism of the Eknath Shinde-led government over the simmering border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Raut walked out of Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail on November 9 after a special court granted him bail in a money laundering case. He was arrested on August 1 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the case related to a housing project in suburban Goregaon.
Raut has been targeting the Shinde government over the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute over the past few days. On Wednesday, he demanded that Belagavi in Karnataka be declared a Union Territory and claimed incidents of violence in Belagavi cannot take place without “Delhi’s support”. Hitting out at Maharashtra CM Shinde, saying the state government appeared weak and helpless to counter such attacks, Raut also alleged that attempts were being made to make Maharashtra unstable.
Talking to reporters here, Desai, one of the two ministers from Maharashtra who was deputed to visit Belagavi amid the border row, slammed Raut over the issue.
“It looks like the outside atmosphere doesn’t suit you (Raut). You should control your tongue to avoid going back to rest,” he said, adding that Raut came out (of jail) after “resting” for three-and-a-half months.
Earlier, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule had also wondered if Raut has learnt provocative language in jail.
Desai claimed that Raut, who is the leader of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has said he would visit Belagavi under the leadership of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.
”Will he not go under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray? We were warning Uddhavji not to trust Sanjay Raut who has bowed before NCP,” he said, and asked why Raut hasn’t gone to Belagavi to complete a court formality over his speech there some years ago.
Hitting back at Desai, Raut said on Twitter, ”Is this an open threat, Mr Minister? While the state government is mum on the issue of our pride, those raising voice for Maharashtra are seen as enemies. It is evident that law and judiciary are under pressure, but people will not sit and watch. It’s clear now, those speaking the truth will be sent to jail.” Minister Desai has threatened him to keep quiet or go back to jail, Raut said, adding that state BJP president Bawankule uses the same language.
“Well, I have a question – do they own the law and judiciary of the country? Remember this is the land of great Dr Ambedkar and Ramshastri,” he said.
The decades-old raging dispute between the two states spilled onto roads on Tuesday with stones being hurled at vehicles entering Karnataka from the Maharashtra side near a toll booth at Hirebaugwadi in Belagavi district. Similarly, at least four buses from Karnataka were defaced in Pune district allegedly by activists of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
