Published 20:50 IST, June 7th 2020
NCP praises Sonu Sood after Sanjay Raut's 'Mahatma' jibe; acknowledges actor's efforts
State Home Minister and NCP MLA Anil Deshmukh in a press briefing lauded Sonu Sood's social service and said leaders should appreciate anyone who helps
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After senior Congress leaders objected to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's comments on Bollywood actor Sonu Sood over his help to migrant workers, Maharashtra ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also reacted on the matter.
State Home Minister and NCP MLA Anil Deshmukh in a press briefing on Sunday lauded the actor's social service and said leaders should appreciate whoever takes such good initiatives for the needy.
"Actor Sonu Sood has done good work by sending a lot of migrant workers to their homes. I did not hear what Sanjay Raut Sahab said. We will appreciate whoever takes such good initiatives, be it Sonu Sood or anyone else. Several NGOs are working and we have always commended that," Deshmukh said.
Sanjay Raut criticizes Sonu Sood
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday in his 'Saamna' editorial appeared to hit out at Sonu Sood over his helping the migrant workers. Raut wrote that during the lockdown period, a new "Mahatma" named Sonu Sood has come all of a sudden, targeting the praise that the actor has been receiving for his deeds. He wrote, "It is being said that Sonu Sood transported millions of migrant labourers to his home in other states," and the Governor of Maharashtra has also praised "Mahatma Sood" for his work.
He also questioned the Bollywood actor as to where is he getting the buses from during the lockdown period. He asked, "When the states are not allowing to take any migrant workers, where are the migrants going?" Launching a further attack, Raut wrote that the Bollywood actor "may soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and become the celebrity manager of Mumbai."
Although, the MP faced criticism from allies Congress and NCP and netizens on social media, Raut has since stood by his criticisms.
Real-life hero
Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has been making headlines for his relentless services for the migrant labourers to ensure their safe journey to their respective homes amid the coronavirus imposed lockdown. He has, until now, chartered buses, trains, airplanes to ferry stranded migrants, primarily from Mumbai, to their hometowns in states all across the country.
He had also arranged for airlifting 147 Odia speaking girls stuck at Kochi at an embroidery factory and ensured their return to their hometown Bhubaneswar. He has become somewhat of a social media phenomenon, with netizens likening him to a sort of logistics powerhouse, asking him to 'send things from one place to another.'
20:50 IST, June 7th 2020