Raut Alleges Opposition MPs Were Stopped ‘At Gunpoint’
“If the CEC does not meet Opposition MPs, then does he only meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah?” : Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut
MUMBAI: Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday levelled serious allegations against the BJP government at the Centre saying Opposition MPs were stopped ‘at gunpoint’ like ‘terrorists’ and women lawmakers were mistreated when they were on their way to the Election Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday. He also accused former Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar of handing the Shiv Sena symbol to ‘thieves,’ and claimed that he did the same with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
“Thousands of jawans were deployed to stop Opposition MPs from meeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday. Personnel from the Delhi Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed to stop 275 unarmed Opposition MPs “as if they are terrorists.” They were forced at gunpoint and detained. Women MPs were mistreated,” the Rajya Sabha member alleged.
“If the CEC does not meet Opposition MPs, then does he only meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah?” Raut asked.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP said that the opposition will continue its agitation demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Dyanesh Kumar. “The agitation to seek Gyanesh Kumar's ouster will not stop. He has to go,” he asserted.
The high-voltage drama unfolded on Tuesday when leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Sanjay Raut, marched toward the ECI office to protest alleged ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) and discrepancies linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Raut also targeted former CEC Rajiv Kumar, accusing him of handing the Shiv Sena’s name and ‘Bow and Arrow’ symbol to the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He levelled a similar allegation over the NCP's name and symbol after its split.
The Shiv Sena split in June 2022, following which the Election Commission allotted the party name and symbol to the Shinde faction in February 2023. After the NCP split in 2023, the poll panel recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the real NCP and allotted it the party's name and ‘clock’ symbol in 2024.
“Both Gyanesh Kumar and Rajiv Kumar have acted as agents of the BJP. Rajiv Kumar played a role in handing over our party to ‘thieves.’ Both Gyanesh Kumar and Rajiv Kumar are guilty of wrongdoing against the country,” Raut said.