Mumbai: BJP leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane on Thursday demanded a police probe into Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s remarks over his talks with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Mr Rane also threatened to cut Mr Raut’s tongue if he again spoke anything insulting about Shivaji Maharaj and his descendant.
Mr Rane alleged that Mr Raut had lost his mental balance and needed to be sent to the hospital for treatment. “Although Mr Raut has withdrawn his statement, he did not admit that what he said was wrong,” Mr Rane asserted.
Lashing out at Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Mr Rane said that Mr Raut was a Sena leader and the editor of Saamana which is why it was the responsibility of Mr Thackeray to ask him to keep quiet and not speak like this. Since Mr Thackeray did not tell him anything, it caused suspicion that Mr Raut was speaking on behalf of Mr Thackeray, Mr Rane added.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our god. Maharashtra is known by Shivaji Maharaj’s name. Mr Raut must not dare to speak about Shivaji Maharaj’s family. It is not his place to do so,” the BJP Rajya Sabha member said while threatening Mr Raut.
Mr Rane alleged that power had gone to Mr Raut’s head and since his brother was not inducted into the Cabinet, Mr Raut had lost his mental balance.
To a question about the claim that the Sena leader had spoken to Dawood Ibrahim, the BJP leader said that he thought that Mr Raut belonged to the same category as the fugitive don.
“Does he have the courage to threaten Dawood Ibrahim? I have my doubts that he was involved with Dawood. The government should carry out a probe. What did he speak to Dawood Ibrahim?” Mr Rane said.
Mr Rane added that the Sena had withdrawn Shivaji’s name from the MVA for the sake of being in government.
