Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut voiced strong objections following the arrival of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP officials in Mumbai for a two-day visit on Monday. Raut's comments were directed at the BJP and its leadership, accusing them of undermining Mumbai's identity and interests.
Lalbaugcha Raja
Raut began his address by speaking about Shah's frequent visits to Lalbaugcha Raja, a key location in Mumbai known for its Ganesh festival celebrations. "Amit Shah is the Home Minister of the country. He is the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is everything. He always comes to Lalbaugcha often. People from all over the country come to see the 'Lalbaugcha Raja,' and they should come too. But the way the wealth of the King of Lalbagh is increasing--just a day before yesterday, I saw that an industrialist gave him a gold crown worth Rs17Cr," Raut said.
The Shiv Sena leader added, "The prestige of the God does not increase because of the faith of the devotees who come. God is God regardless of whether gold, silver, money, or anything else is given. He does not become God by receiving anything, but people do all this with faith." Raut suggested that the BJP's actions are affecting Mumbai's status and resources, claiming, "Whatever we have seen, Amit Shah ji and Modi ji have taken all of it to Gujarat. Whether it is industry, trade institutions, or anything else, whether it is our land, they have taken everything to Gujarat because it concerns Mumbai's prestige."
BJP may move Ganesh Festival to Gujarat
Raut then expressed his concerns that the BJP might even move the Ganesh festival celebrations to Gujarat. He said, "This time when Amit Shah came, people were afraid that he would take the festival of our King of Lalbagh to Gujarat. He can do anything." Raut underscored Mumbai's importance to Maharashtra and its people, adding, "The King of Lalbagh is the pride of Mumbai and Maharashtra. We have a bond of faith with him. It cannot be broken, but the business wing of the BJP can do anything."
Burkhas to MLAs
Raut also criticised the BJP's approach to election campaigning, particularly their distribution of burkhas. He accused the party of hypocrisy, stating, "Distribute burkhas to their 40 MLAs also because their 40 MLAs will have to fight the upcoming elections in burkhas only because people will beat them with shoes. Look, they can do anything to win the elections. These are hypocrites. Now their MLAs are distributing burkhas, and their leader there, Narendra Modi, has started a war against burkhas."
(with Agency inputs)
