Sanjay Raut

Sanjay Raut's comments came a day after former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that as in neighbouring Goa, the BJP will return to power in Maharashtra on its own in the next elections.

In the letter to Naidu, who is also chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Sanjay Raut said central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) were systematically targeting Shiv Sena leaders, after the party formed government in Maharashtra with the NCP and Congress after severing ties with its old ally BJP.

Mumbai police, known for their witty tweets and replies, responded to a Twitter user enquiring about the drink and drive policy.

Shiv Sena's senior leader Sanjay Raut said that he met many unemployed people in UP recently and they want change in the poll-bound state.

"The Shiv Sena is the common man’s party. We want to tell the people not to fall prey to monetary inducements,” Sanjay Raut said.

They said the FIR was registered based on a complaint submitted by BJP National General Secretary Deepti Rawat Bhardwaj on December 9 at Mandawali police station.

Raut quoted Gandhi as saying that he had requested senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to take charge of the Congress' Jammu & Kashmir unit after his Rajya Sabha term expired, but the latter refused.

Speaking to reporters here, Raut also said former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh was arrested by a central agency based on Singh’s allegations, and this was "very unfortunate and unethical".

Addressing a party meeting at Nashik in Maharashtra on Saturday, Raut said he would give proof that the 100 crore vaccination claim was "false".

Talking to reporters, Sanjay Raut said when a rape incident took place at Saki Naka in Mumbai (last month), the BJP raised a hue and cry, and "we (state government) did not stop anyone from going to the crime site".

Raut, whose party shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra, claimed that the state BJP unit has made a "mockery" of central probe agencies.

Raut further said the Shiv Sena has its cadre in these two states and has been contesting elections, irrespective of success or failure.

Sanjay Raut, whose party shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra, met Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday.

An international media consortium on Sunday reported that more than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including of two serving ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders and one sitting judge besides scores of business persons and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through the Israeli spyware sold only to government agencies.

When queried if that probable face would be Sharad Pawar, Sanjay Raut said the NCP chief is a senior national leader but at the same time, some people are thinking about West Bengal chief minister and TMC president Mamata Banerjee.

The Shiv Sena, an ally of the Congress in Maharashtra, said the latter should introspect over Sushil Kumar Shinde's critical remarks.

Sanjay Raut’s statements come four days after leaders of eight opposition parties, including TMC, SP, AAP, RLD and the Left, assembled at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence in New Delhi and discussed various issues facing the country.

Sanjay Raut was responding to reporters’ query on the ED’s searches at former state home minister Anil Deshmukh’s premises in Nagpur and Mumbai on Friday as part of a money-laundering probe against him.

Sanjay Raut's comments came days after Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole spoke about going solo in future elections.

The allegation that the land worth Rs 2 crore was bought at an inflated price of Rs 18.5 crore by Shriram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai for the Ram temple premises was made by AAP's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and a former minister in the Samajwadi Party government, Pawan Pandey.