Raut Targets Trump For Congratulating PM Modi On Bengal Win
The Rajya Sabha MP claimed that ‘serious concerns’ have emerged regarding the conduct of the elections and alleged that there were complaints of “fear, intimidation and systemic pressure.”
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT) has hit out at US President Donald Trump for congratulating PM Narendra Modi on Bengal win calling it ‘premature and misplaced.’ Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that the state-level elections are an internal matter of India’s federal democracy and any external endorsement appears premature and misplaced.d
In a post on X tagging Trump, Raut said, “Dear President @realDonaldTrump Greetings. As a Member of Parliament from India, I write in response to reports of your congratulations to PM Narendra Modi on the West Bengal Assembly election results. These are state-level elections- an internal matter of India’s federal democracy. Any external endorsement appears premature and misplaced.”
The Rajya Sabha MP claimed that ‘serious concerns’ have emerged regarding the conduct of the elections and alleged that there were complaints of “fear, intimidation and systemic pressure.”
Raut said it was his ‘duty’ to highlight concerns being raised over the democratic process. He questioned why foreign leaders would congratulate PM Modi over a state election outcome and alleged that democratic institutions in India were under pressure.
“I believe the news is false. If Modi wins the Gram Panchayat elections tomorrow, will President Trump, Macron, and Starmer congratulate Modi? America is the largest democratic country. So is India. The whole world knows what is going on in the name of democracy in India. Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray and Mamata Banerjee have repeatedly expressed their views,” Raut said.
Reacting strongly to Sena leader’s remarks, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called the former ‘the joker of Indian politics.’ He also accused Opposition leaders of deliberately questioning democratic institutions whenever election outcomes do not favour them.
“Sanjay Raut is the joker of Indian politics. He and Rahul Gandhi have taken a ‘supari’ (contract) to besmirch India’s image for domestic political petty battles and in Modi’s opposition they oppose the country,” Poonawalla said in a video post on X.