Maha Vikas Aghadi very strong, Sharad Pawar's statement twisted by media: Sanjay Raut

When asked about Pawar's remarks, Raut said, "At this moment, the MVA is extremely strong and holding rallies jointly. Rallies are being held to send a message that we are united.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday asserted the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi is very strong and said he never came across NCP chief Sharad Pawar's statement that MVA will break. Raut also claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party is attempting to break strong opposition parties such as Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party, Congress, and the Trinamool Congress.

Speaking to reporters here, he said Pawar's statement regarding MVA- which includes Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP, and Congress- was twisted by the media. "The MVA is very strong and is organising rallies together across the state," the Rajya Sabha member said. Responding to a query of reporters in Amravati on Sunday whether NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress will contest elections together, Pawar said all the three parties desire to work together and there was no discussion about Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) of Prakash Ambedkar joining the MVA.

When asked about Pawar's remarks, Raut said, "At this moment, the MVA is extremely strong and holding rallies jointly. Rallies are being held to send a message that we are united. On May 1, a huge rally will take place in Mumbai where all senior leaders from all the parties (of MVA) will come together".

He said Sharad Pawar has played a big role in building the MVA. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are together but Pawar deserves special importance, he added. "Pawar saheb is of the view that if we stay together, we can defeat BJP in 2024 and we can win Lok Sabha seats in big numbers. I do not think he (Pawar) is taking any such stand on MVA (as reported) because we constantly discuss and deliberate. I never come across his statements or stand that there should not be MVA or it should break," Raut said. He said MVA will fight elections together.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader claimed the BJP is trying to break all strong opposition parties. "Be it Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the Congress, NCP, or Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, they are trying to break all these parties to strengthen the saffron party. They do not have anything original...they have all dummies. It will get over soon..The BJP should stop this business of washing machines," he said.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has often targeted the BJP with the "washing machine" barb implying that cases abate against Opposition leaders facing allegations of corruption once they join the BJP. Raut also claimed behind the screen activities are going on to replace CM Eknath Shinde, "as he has failed to achieve what BJP wanted".

A day earlier, Raut claimed the BJP-Shinde government would collapse in the next 15-20 days. "Shinde was used for toppling our (MVA) government (in June 2022), but as a chief minister, he has failed to strengthen the BJP in Maharashtra. The BJP and the Shinde faction are going down since this government was formed," he alleged.

Queried on Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray's remarks at Sunday's MVA rally that 'even Pakistan will tell whom real Shiv Sena belongs to', Raut said the statement was aimed at the Election Commission of India, which is the "slave of the BJP". "What Uddhav meant was that even Pakistan knows that Shiv Sena is of Balasaheb Thackeray but the EC is unable to understand this," he said.

Taking a veiled swipe at BJP, Raut said those who are trying to create controversy by invoking Uddhav Thackeray's statement, also chant Pakistan's name to win elections. "(PM Narendra) Modi should try to win elections without taking the name of Pakistan," he said. (PTI)