Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and invited a sharp retort from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which said the people of the country will give a befitting reply to such attacks on the PM.
Addressing a rally in Buldhana in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Raut said while Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, was born in Maharashtra, Aurangzeb was born in present-day Gujarat.
“There is a place called Dahod (in Gujarat) where Modi was born, Aurangzeb was also born there. So this Aurangzebi attitude is marching towards Maharashtra from Gujarat and Delhi, and also against the Shiv Sena and our self-respect. Don’t say Modi has come, say Aurangzeb has arrived. We will bury them,” Raut said.
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His statement drew a massive backlash from the BJP and resulted in a complaint to the Election Commission and Mumbai Police seeking action against the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader.
Such comments are a “direct threat” to the life of the PM, the Maharashtra unit of the BJP alleged, PTI reported.
“Raut in his public rally in Ahmednagar had threatened to bury Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Maharashtra. He also tried drawing a parallel between Modi and Aurangzeb. Such comments potentially lead to communal disharmony and affect the peaceful process of the election campaign,” the BJP said in its complaint letter to the EC.
“His comments are a direct threat to the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. EC officials should take appropriate action against Raut and ensure such comments are not repeated in future,” the BJP’s complaint claimed.
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PM Modi also reacted to Raut’s comments and said that “fake Shiv Sena” talks about burying me alive.
Addressing an election rally in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar, PM Modi said, “…On one side there is Congress which says ‘Modi teri kabr khudegi’ and on the other side, there is this fake Shiv Sena that talks about burying me alive. Even while abusing me, they take full care of appeasement. Will you abuse me the way your ‘vote bank’ likes?…”
(With inputs from PTI)
