Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut was booked under a second defamation case on Friday for alleging threat to his life from Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, reported PTI.
On Thursday, a first information report against the Rajya Sabha MP was lodged on the complaint of former Thane Mayor Meenakshi Shinde. The second FIR was filed a day later based on a complaint lodged by Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction’s Beed district unit chief, reported the news agency.
Raut had made the allegations about Eknath Shinde’s son, Kalyan MP Shrikant Eknath Shinde, on Tuesday. He had alleged that the MP has hired contract killers to kill him.
The politician had written three separate letters to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Mumbai police commissioner, and the Thane police commissioner with regard to a threat to his life, reported The Indian Express.
Raut claimed that he has been constantly receiving threats from the MLAs of the ruling party and their goons after his security was removed by the state government immediately after Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction formed the government with the Bharatiya Janata Party in June, reported the newspaper.
A day after Raut made the claims, Eknath Shinde said that the police would investigate the allegation and act accordingly. Fadnavis, however, said that Raut’s claims were mindless allegations, reported NDTV.
“I think he is creating sensation by levelling such allegations,” the BJP leader said. “He may think that he would get some sympathy out of it. But you do not get sympathy by making fake allegations.”
Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray, the son of former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, has also claimed that MLAs from Eknath Shinde’s camp have been attacking legislators from his faction, reported NDTV.
“Unfortunately, these traitor MLAs [from Shinde camp] are not being controlled at all,” Aaditya Thackeray claimed. “One MLA had opened fire in Mahim area of Mumbai, but no action was taken.”
The tussle between Shiv Sena’s two factions hit a new development last week after the Election Commission recognised Eknath Shinde camp as the real party. The polling body also allotted the bow and arrow symbol to the Shinde-led faction. The order was challenged by Uddhav Thackeray camp in the Supreme Court,
The court said on Thursday that it cannot stay the Election Commission order without hearing it first.
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