Tag: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut

Emergency an Outdated Issue, Current Situation Worse: Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut

“Indira Gandhi’s place has been taken by Narendra Modi,” he wrote in Shiv Sena’s newspaper Saamana.

Mumbai: Terming the 1975 Emergency an outdated issue which needs to be permanently “buried”, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut targeted the Centre saying that the prevailing situation in the country is such that one can say the Emergency period was better.

In his weekly column Rokhthok published in the party mouthpiece Saamana, Raut, who is the executive editor of the daily, questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s move of expressing regret over the Emergency imposed by his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“People of India punished Indira Gandhi for her decision to impose Emergency. They taught her a lesson but later forgave her by bringing her back to power. Emergency is an outdated issue. Why rake it up again and again? … The issued should be permanently buried,” he said.

Raut described Rahul Gandhi as a straightforward and simple person, who casually spoke about the past incident. “His comments triggered a debate on the issue once again. The 1975 Emergency was imposed under unprecedented circumstances. The present generation in politics and media have no inkling about the past and were not at all affected.

“The prevailing situation in the country is such that one can say that the 1975 Emergency was better,” he said.

Also read: UPA Needs Restructuring, Should be Led by Sharad Pawar: Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut

Raut said the recent Income Tax department raids on filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actor Taapsee Pannu came when they spoke against the government’s policies.

He added that the Washington Post (an American newspaper) has raised question marks over the “undeclared Emergency” under the Modi government as it talked about the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi on sedition charges.

“Political control over media houses, political strategies to win elections and break the opposition, defying constitutional norms – all these things are just the same even now as what happened in 1975. Indira Gandhi’s place has been taken by Narendra Modi,” he wrote.

The Sena MP added that Indira Gandhi had expressed regret over the excesses committed during that period and promised that there will be no Emergency in the future. “She was firm that the step had to be taken against the prevailing backdrop where provocation was done in an attempt to create anarchy. She was of the view that Emergency was imposed because democracy was derailed,” Raut said.

UPA Needs Restructuring, Should be Led by Sharad Pawar: Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut

Raut said the restructured United Progressive Alliance should be led by a senior leader like Pawar as many regional parties are not ready to work under the leadership of the Congress.

Aurangabad: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said there is a need to restructure the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), and the new alliance should be led by a senior leader like Sharad Pawar as many regional parties are not ready to work under the leadership of the Congress. The future of this alliance would depend on the sacrifice and liberality of the Congress, he said.

He added that there was no National Democratic Alliance (NDA) left in the country as its allies have quit it, but similarly, the existence of the UPA is not visible as it has very few parties now.

The Rajya Sabha member was speaking at the ‘Jaybhim Festival’ organised by a former corporator in Aurangabad. The programme began with Raut’s interview.

“Many regional parties are not ready to work under the Congress leadership in the UPA. Therefore, to create a group against the incumbent government, there is a need to go for the restructuring of the UPA,” he said. “This new alliance should be led by a senior leader like Sharad Pawar. If that happens, then many more parties can join the alliance in future. But this is not possible without the consent of the Congress,” Raut added.

Also read: Behind AAP’s First Success in Gujarat Is a Tale of Congress’s Deep Slumber

The Sena leader said that he has been witnessing a change in the political atmosphere of Delhi now. “Today, Delhi is deaf and dumb, and there are no activities in the national capital. There are a few people who are speaking. The people of the party who are in majority have no freedom of speech. They don’t have freedom to meet each other, and they don’t even smile after looking at us,” he said. They fear that if they wave at us, the move might get captured on CCTV, he added.

Raut said he feels that Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray should be in Delhi for national-level politics now. “I always tell this to Uddhav Thackeray that he should go to Delhi now. The nation is waiting for you and it needs you. Opposition parties, regional parties want a leadership and such a leadership can be seen in Maharashtra,” he said.

On Lok Sabha member Mohan Delkar’s death, he said, “His death is mysterious. I have spoken at least twice on this issue with CM Thackeray. He could have committed suicide at his home, but he came to Mumbai and this could be out of the faith he has in Mumbai police that they would investigate his death. There are names related to BJP in his suicide note.”