Sanjay Raut claims riots on Ram Navami were govt-sponsored

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that the communal clashes that took place in Maharashtra and elsewhere on Ram Navami were government-sponsored, adding that the state government wanted to use the tensions as a pretext to deny permission to a rally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

Clashes took place between different groups in Aurangabad city of central Maharashtra as well as in Malvani area of Mumbai on Thursday.

These are government-sponsored riots. There is a BJP government in Maharashtra and Gujarat, and there were riots (in both states). When Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister, there were no riots and Ram Navami was celebrated (peacefully) during that time.

This is why the Supreme Court said the government is impotent and riots are proof of that, he added. The government engineered tensions as it was fearing defeat in the coming elections and was nervous seeing the widespread support received by Uddhav Thackeray, he alleged.

Raut also claimed that the Eknath Shinde-led government wanted to deny permission to the April 2 rally of the MVA (coalition of Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress) in Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) citing law and order problems following the riots.