It has come to light that 14 out of 19 Shiv Sena MPs have asked party chief Uddhav Thackeray to agree with Eknath Shinde. Even after the MPs expressed their views, the party took anti-party action against Eknath Shinde and decided to expel him from the leadership post. Therefore, there is talk that 14 MPs are now ready to take a different role. When Sanjay Raut was asked about this, he made a suggestive statement.
"It is wrong to say that MPs are on the verge of splitting. Our party MPs met yesterday. But I could not attend the meeting because at the same time I was called by a BJP branch. I have to talk to party chiefs about the meeting. The Shiv Sena has full power to elect MLAs and MPs. In the end, wherever the MPs go, the bottom line is ready. The voters are also completely on the side of Shiv Sena" said Raut.
"No matter how much pressure was put on me, I would not have left the Shiv Sena. There were attempts to overthrow me. I would not have left the party even if I had lost the election. I am a Shiv Sainik of Balasaheb and Uddhav Thackeray" he added.
A new government has come into existence in the state. Eknath Shinde is the Chief Minister of Maharashtra while Devendra Fadnavis is the Deputy Chief Minister. Posters congratulating Fadnavis on becoming the new Deputy Chief Minister of the state have been put up by BJP in Mumbai and Thane. The posters show a missing photo of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. When Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was asked about this, he said that this is an internal issue of BJP.
"It is easy to call Fadnavis a former chief minister or a future chief minister. But I still find it difficult to call him a deputy chief minister" he said.
"No one can become a Shiv Sainik without leaving Shiv Sena. Therefore, Eknath Shinde is not the Chief Minister of Shiv Sena. Wherever Thackeray is, there is no Shiv Sena. No one can take away the original Shiv Sena from Thackeray. I am a Shiv Sainik of Balasaheb and Uddhav Thackeray. The delegation has decided to remove Eknath Shinde from the leadership post for taking anti-party action," Raut said.
"I have answered all the questions of the ED. I will continue to do so. Because when the truth is with you, you have nothing to fear," said Sanjay Raut.