Sanjay Raut's 'Mohan Bhagwat' retort to Eknath Shinde's Maha Kumbh criticism for Uddhav Thackeray
Raut also said that while Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis attended the Maha Kumbh last month, how many of his cabinet colleagues or MLAs went there?
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde over his criticism of Uddhav Thackeray for not attending the Maha Kumbh.
Raut asked Shinde why he did not question RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's absence from the Maha Kumbh, reported PTI.
"Shinde should ask this question first to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. If Bhagwat, as a Hindu, has not visited the Kumbh to take a dip, why target Uddhav Thackeray?" asked Raut.
Sanjay Raut also pointed out that he had never seen pictures of RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar, or previous Sangh chiefs like M S Golwalkar, Balasaheb Deoras, Rajju Bhaiyya and K Sudarshan attending any Kumbh in the country.
Even (Hindutva ideologue) Vinayak Damodar Savarkar never visited (the Kumbh fair), he said.
Also Read | How Prayagraj mela grounds look after Maha Kumbh 2025
The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP also questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Kumbh was just a “publicity stunt."
"Did Modi ever visit any earlier Kumbh before becoming the PM? This is just a publicity stunt," he quipped.
Raut further said that while Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended the Maha Kumbh last month, how many of his cabinet colleagues or MLAs went there?
"Leave aside such issues," the Sena (UBT) leader added.
Raut on Shinde’s growing discontent in Mahayuti alliance
Raut in his weekly column Rokhthok in the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' claimed that Shinde had reportedly met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in February to complain about his treatment in the current government.
"He (Shinde) complained to Shah that he is not being given his due in the new government and all decisions taken by him as CM in the previous government are being overturned," Raut charged.
Also Read | Maharashtra agriculture minister’s fate to be decided on March 5 in cheating case
Raut claimed that Shinde wants to merge the "robbed" Shiv Sena into the BJP to become CM again.
For the unversed, Shinde, initially a member of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena party, had led a rebellion against Thackeray in June 2022, leading to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government back then and split in the Shiv Sena.
Shiv Sena was then split into two parties - Shiv Sena (now led by Eknath-Shinde) and Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray.
