Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday hit out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for his silence on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border row.
"It is expected that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will take a firm stand on all this. He is the Chief Minister of Maharashtra who has not opened his mouth about the border issue. Their swords, and shields, need a lock. Their group needs to be given a sign of a lock, the key is in Delhi," said Sanjay Raut.
Raut said that when Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP leaders went to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he did not meet with the MPs of the Shinde group and it is recorded in the history of Maharashtra that the MPs did not take a stand on the ongoing border issue.
"Amit Shah did not meet the MPs from Shinde Group. It is recorded in the history of Maharashtra that these MPs did not open their mouths on the border issue and did not take a stand, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that he would not give an inch of this land and would not listen to Amit Shah, then how will Amit Shah mediate?" he said.
Sanjay Raut further stated that Maharashtra does not care about what the Chief Minister of Karnataka says on the border issue but the people of Maharastra are keen to know what Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has to say.
"Maharashtra does not care about what the Chief Minister of Karnataka says how the Chief Minister Maharashtra respond to the Chief Minister of Karnataka is what we want to know," said Sanjay Raut.
Earlier on December 7, Sanjay Raut launched a blistering attack on the ruling Eknath Shinde government in the state as he dared the chief minister to ask the Centre to declare the disputed area between Maharashtra and Karnataka as a Union Territory.
"It is a fight for humanity," said Raut while speaking to reporters here and added, "Tell CM if he has guts then go to Delhi and ask the disputed area to be declared as a Union Territory".
Raut also alleged that the BJP government at the Centre is involved in the issue and said, "The Central government must be involved in all of this, otherwise why it is suddenly happening now?"
Issuing a warning at the Centre, Raut, who was recently let out on bail after the Enforcement Directorate arrested him in July, said, "If anything happens to Maharashtra, then the country's Home Minister will be responsible.
Raut said, "20 lakh Marathi people staying away from the state are demanding justice for the last 5 decades."
Slamming the Shinde government that wrested power from the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government on June 30 this year after a rebellion, the 61-year-old Rajya Sabha member said,
"This government has no right to be in power for even a day. This government is cowardly."
Demanding CM Shinde's resignation, Raut reminded, "This is the Maharashtra of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Tell CM if he has guts then go to Delhi. CM Eknath Shinde should show his 'Bhai Giri' now, else should resign."
Raut also alleged that the current government's silence is weakening the state of Maharashtra. "Where are Maharashtra's Chief Minister and Deputy CM now?"
( With inputs from ANI )
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