Published 18:02 IST, January 16th 2020
Amid Raut row, swift attack-defence on Devendra Fadnavis-Munna Yadav meeting breaks out
Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra took to Twitter & defended himself after Cong leader Thorat made allegations on him for being involved with underworld dons
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After the President of Maharashtra Congress Committee Balasaheb Thorat accused Devendra Fadnavis of meeting an underworld don, Munna Yadav, at his residence Varsha, the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra took to Twitter and defended himself.
Fadnavis said that Munna Yadav was a legitimately-elected corporator from Nagpur and he has never given "patronage" to the underworld in his tenure. Fadnavis further questioned the Congress' links with Karim Lala in his tweet.
I never gave patronage to underworld.
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 16, 2020
Munna Yadav is 3 a time elected corporator from Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
You can’t divert the attention from the fact of the statement made by Sanjay Raut.
Congress Party owes an answer to it’s links with Karim lala. https://t.co/Z8DJotBR9A
This surfaced as Sanjay Raut made controversial comments about former PM Indira Gandhi's link with the underworld on Thursday morning. Talking about the past influence of the underworld over Mumbai, Sanjay Raut claimed that the underworld decided who will be the city's commissioner and in the state secretariat. Moreover, he claimed that the entire secretariat would meet don Haji Mastan when he was in town. On Thursday, after coming under pressure from coalition partners of Shiv Sena, Sanjay Raut withdrew his statement.
Balasaheb Thorat, after Raut's withdrawal, took to Twitter and warned him against making any such comment in the future. Thorat, in a series of tweets, hailed the former PM's contribution to the developments in India. He also targetted the former Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadbnavis and said that it was Fadnavis who had connections with the underworld.
Infamous underworld don met Devendra Fadnavis at Varsha when he was CM. He not only protected another criminal Munna Yadav but appointed him on government board. Fadnavis has no moral right to speak on this subject.
— Balasaheb Thorat (@bb_thorat) January 16, 2020
Sanjay Raut's statement on Indira Gandhi
Talking about Indira Gandhi's involvement with the underworld dons in Mumbai, Raut said, "They (underworld) used to decide who will be Mumbai's police commissioner and who will sit in Mantralaya (state secretariat)," Raut said. He added, "When (underworld don) Haji Mastan came to Mantralaya, the entire secretariat would come down to see him. Indira Gandhi used to meet Karim Lala in Pydhonie (in south Mumbai)".
He later wrote the following:
I have never shied away from praising Indira Gandhi as an iron lady who took decisions with iron fist. Surprisingly those who do not history of Indiraji are shouting on top of the voice. @AUThackeray@RahulGandhi @SATAVRAJEEV @
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) January 16, 2020
Kareem Lala was leader of Pathan community, he led an organisation called 'Pakhtun-e-Hind'. It was in this capacity of the leader of Pathan community that he met several top leaders including Indira Gandhi
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) January 16, 2020
However, those who do not the history of Mumbai, r twisting my statement
18:02 IST, January 16th 2020