BJP, Sena now trade mental hospital' barbs

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday claimed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders will go crazy if they remain without power. Talking to reporters, Mr Raut also said mental health clinics will be formed in various parts of Maharashtra for “such people” after the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine comes to power in the state. “The BJP leaders will go crazy if they are thrown out of power. They will lose their mental balance, as we are going to prove our majority during the floor test,” Mr Raut claimed. “Once we form government, we will build a special hospital to treat the mental illness of BJP leaders,” he said. Mr Raut said his party, the NCP and Congress have the required numbers and will prove to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari that they have the numbers to form government in Maharashtra. Mr Raut said the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have signatures of all their respective MLAs to prove majority in the House. The Rajya Sabha MP said the BJP acted like “Chambal dacoits” to form government in the state without having majority. “The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress will have at least 10 MLAs more than the BJP when the floor test will be done in the Assembly,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

The BJP and the Sena, which fought the last month’s Assembly polls in an alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively. The pre-poll alliance, however, fell apart after the BJP declined Sena’s demand to share the chief minister’s post. Mr Raut said he has heard the BJP is ready to share the chief minister’s post with Ajit Pawar for 2.5 years. “They were not ready to do the same with us. We will outsmart the BJP when it comes to prove the majority,” he said.

Replying to Mr Raut’s “mental hospital” barb, BJP leader and Union minister Raosaheb Davane said, “There is no ‘Operation Lotus’, we have enough MLAs to prove majority. We are not threatening any MLA. Sanjay Raut’s allegations are false. After a few days he will have to be sent to a mental hospital.”