“We want to challenge their corrupt politics. We want to build the strength of our unity. This is our role. But it is necessary to have a Marathi-speaking son of the soil as the mayor of Mumbai,” he told the media.
File Photo: IANS
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday slammed Mumbai Congress leader Bhai Jagtap’s recent statement that the Congress was not interested in allying with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena as well as the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to contest the forthcoming Mumbai municipal corporation election.
“The Congress is the largest political party in Delhi and the country. We want to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. You can appoint Congress leaders as mayors of 27 municipal corporations in Maharashtra. We have no objection. We only want to stop the BJP.
Advertisement
“We want to challenge their corrupt politics. We want to build the strength of our unity. This is our role. But it is necessary to have a Marathi-speaking son of the soil as the mayor of Mumbai,” he told the media.
Advertisement
“The Congress is a constituent of the INDIA bloc at the national level and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra. Both these alliances were not formed by any single party. There are many parties with the Congress.
“Now if anyone has (Mumbai Congress leader Bhai Jagtap) taken a different stand about the Mumbai municipal corporation elections, that is their problem. We will not take a stand which will put our allies in trouble. We want to defeat the BJP. We want to save Mumbai from being swallowed up by Adani,” Sanjay Raut said.
Raut was reacting to the statement made on Wednesday, October 22, by Mumbai Congress leader Bhai Jagtap that “Let alone Raj Thackeray, in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, we will not fight even with Uddhav Thackeray. When I was the president of Mumbai Congress, I had said this.
“I said the same thing to Congress party’s Maharashtra in charge Ramesh Chennithala during the meeting of our political affairs committee. These are local body elections. Local body elections are for party workers and not leaders.
“Congress workers who have been carrying the party flag on their shoulders for the past several years also want to fight elections on their own strength at some point. Therefore, let the Congress workers fight these elections. Let the local workers decide whom to fight with. We are local Congress workers in Mumbai. Therefore, we will fight on our own in Mumbai.
“For the last 30 years, Mumbai has had a Marathi son of the soil as mayor. The credit for this goes to the Shiv Sena. It cannot be forgotten that the Congress cooperated in achieving this. Therefore, if a Congress leader is saying something about this, there is no need to give it much importance.
“It may just be a statement made for publicity for just one day. I think there will be no serious differences in the Congress, except some minor internal differences,” Raut said, dismissing Jagtap’s statement against any alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena or the Raj Thackeray-led MNS.
It may be recalled that on October 13, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut told media persons that his party is in talks with top leaders of the Congress, exploring the possibility of including Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the Congress-led opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to fight the forthcoming local civic body elections in Maharashtra.
Replying to a question about whether Raj Thackeray and his MNS would be part of the MVA to fight the forthcoming local civic body elections in Maharashtra, Sanjay Raut said on October 13 that, “Raj Thackeray desires that the Congress, which is a constituent of the MVA, should be taken along. This is his stand. But this does not mean any decision has been taken”.
Raut said that he has spoken to All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal about “certain issues” and will also talk to Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi Sabha. Raut also said that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will also talk to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
“Everyone has a place in Maharashtra state politics. (Uddhav Thackeray-led) Shiv Sena has its place, MNS also has a place, and so does Sharad Pawar-led NCP as well as the Left parties. For instance, our stand is that Congress should be part of the all-party delegation. Even Raj Thackeray is of the same opinion,” Sanjay Raut said.
Advertisement
