Sanjay Raut writes to VP Naidu, calls allotment of 5th row a 'humiliation'

Days after Shiv Sena MPs lost their front row seats in the Parliament and were shifted to Opposition side, Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has written a letter to Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha. Addressing the Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, Raut said that the move of allotment of seat on the 3rd and the 5th row has astonished him. He said that since there has been no formal announcement of break up with the NDA, the step seems 'unwarranted'.

In his letter, he also added that he met the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs to speak to him in this regard. Claiming that the move has 'affected the dignity of the house', he said that a Chairman of the House is non-partisan but this move is sending a message that the house is correlated with the tussle in government formation in Maharashtra state. 

The Rajya Sabha MP went on to state that even when NDA was in Opposition, he was allotted a 3rd-row seat but allotting 5th-row seat is to humiliate him, he said. He requested the Chairman to allot him first, second, or third-row seat so that he would be able to "raise the voice of poor people of Maharashtra effectively in the House."

Here is his full letter:

Sena MPs loses front row seats

As the winter session of the Parliament commenced on Monday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi, said that former minister in the Modi cabinet and Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant has been allotted a seat in Opposition. He also said that the Shiv Sena will not be participating in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting at the Parliament library building. He also said that other Sena leaders are also allotted setas in Opposition. 

"Shiv Sena is not coming to the NDA meeting. Their minister Arvind Sawant has resigned. They're trying to work with Congress, so naturally, they've opted to sit in the opposition and we've agreed to that. We're allotting them a seat in opposition both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha", Prahlad Joshi told reporters ahead of the meeting on Sunday.

READ: Sanjay Raut after meeting Pawar: Not our responsibility to form govt, but will do it

Arvind Sawant's resignation

Amid the power tussle in Maharashtra between BJP and Shiv Sena, its leader Arvind Sawant resigned from Modi cabinet on November 11. Calling himself a "true Shiv Sainik", he said that it is not moral or appropriate for him to continue at his post. "Our alliance in the state is dead and a new government is going to be formed. In such a situation, for me to continue in my post is not moral or appropriate. Hence, I have tendered my resignation to Prime Minister Modi", Sawant said.

READ: Ramdas Athawale reveals counseling Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, urging compromise with BJP

Political crisis in Maharashtra 

After the assembly elections, the Mahayuti alliance partners - BJP and Shiv Sena had a fallout over the chief minister's position in the state. Uddhav Thackray led Shiv Sena said that the chief minister's position should be equally divided between the parties as per the 50:50 formula. However, BJP leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis denied any such formula.  Both parties are now eyeing to form the next government separately in Maharashtra -which is currently under President's rule. While the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress is still in talks to finalise the Common minimum programme to form an alliance, the BJP has vowed that it will form the next government. The Mahayuti alliance swept Maharashtra on October 24, winning a combined tally of 161 (BJP- 105, Sena -56).

READ: Sena's Arvind Sawant loses front row seat in Lok Sabha after his resignation