Mumbai: Striking a cautionary note to his own party the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the influx of party hoppers, senior Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut while terming it as a race to change one’s own heaven said that this race will one day turn democracy into hell. Writing in his weekly column “Rokh-Thok” in party mouthpiece “Saamana” on Sunday, he argued that if someone (read BJP) has decided just like there is no leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, so there should be no such leader of opposition in Maharashtra legislative assembly then it is dangerous for democracy.
On the other hand, Raut also welcomes the leaders queuing up at the gates of Sena-BJP to join the party, he argues that it is a matter of joy as not so long ago both the political parties were regarded as political untouchables. At the same time the Saamana Editor also remarks that those standing in these queues have left political parties several times. The Sena leader added that the kind of excuses these leaders are offering for leaving their political parties is kind of political joke and have no co-relation to ideology.
Listing out the names of party hoppers like Kripashankar Singh, he pointed out that the probes into the disproportionate assets case and corruption were started during the previous Congress regime. Raut sarcastically remarked that all the fines have been washed clean in the BJPs washing machine and now the same Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) will be denied permission to lodge cases against Singh as he is on the verge of joining the BJP.
Commenting upon the likes of Chhagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Kalidas Kolambkar who regarded late Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray as their demi-god, likes of Padmasinha Patil, Dilip Sopal and others terming Sharad Pawar as their demi-god, Raut added that many of them have criticized Sena-BJP in the past. “Had they got even five percent chance of winning they would not have joined the Sena-BJP”, remarked Raut.
Drawing an analogy from the recent floods in Sangli and Kolhapur, Raut remarked “if water is not discharged at the right time what happens was demonstrated recently in Sangli, Kolhapur floods. Those in whose houses this discharged water has entered need to be better careful. Sounding more critical of these mega recruitment drives in Sena-BJP, he said that there is nothing as character left in politics and character assassination has become a political weapon. Raut further sounded a note of caution “one needs to be careful of those who are joining in. If these people try to become gardeners of the heaven, then it will be matter of time for heaven to become hell”.
