Raut trying to hide MVA govt's failures: Maharashtra BJP chief

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on Sunday accused Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut of trying to hide the failures of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government by misleading people over the threat to the survival of the Uddhav Thackeray-led dispensation. Raut, in his weekly column in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Sunday indirectly accused the BJP of planning to topple the state government by October and have its own members appointed to the Legislative Council from the governor's quota.

"Sanjay Raut today once again made a lame attempt to imply that the BJP is trying to topple this government by October. In reality though, Raut is scared that the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena government is falling due to the internal fights that are happening between the three parties," Patil said.

"He is just showing his fear to the people of Maharashtra by making a shallow accusations against the BJP," the former Maharashtra minister said.

At a time when Maharashtra is battling a very serious outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Raut is busy making baseless allegations against the BJP, he alleged.

"Instead of introspecting on why the farmers of our state have not been given sufficient loans for the next harvest season and why they have been given bogus seeds in many districts, Shiv Sena is making failed attempts to discredit the BJP and its leadership both in the Centre and the state," Patil added.

He said that the Shiv Sena controlled the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the last three decades, but just like every year, the citizens this year too suffered due to flooding and extensive water logging in the first spell of rains.

"But 'Saamana' is always silent on these real issues that plague the state today. It only passes comments against the Centre and Prime Minster Narendra Modi," he said.

His his column, 'Rokhthokh', Raut hit out at the BJP over the issue of appointment of 12 Maharashtra Legislative Council members from the governor'squota, saying delay in their nomination would amount to violation of the Constitution and suppression of freedom.

The Rajya Sabha member said there were speculations that the appointment of 12 Legislative Council members from the governor's quota may be put on hold and the "new government" (after ousting the MVA) would make its own appointments after October. The MVA government is yet to recommend 12 names to the governor for nomination in the Legislative Council. The term of the 12 governor-nominated appointees ended last month.