Part-time shaayar and overestimated poll strategist from the Shiv Sena, Sanjay Raut dropped a startling bombshell yesterday, much to the effect of leaving the Congress party in an awkward position.
Sanjay Raut has been leading a solitary battle against the Maha Vikas Aghadi ever since his brother, Sunil Raut was denied a cabinet portfolio in the state government, which is allegedly led by Uddhav Thackeray.
“When Haji Mastan used to come to ‘Mantralaya’, the entire ‘Mantralaya’ would come down to see him. Indira Gandhi used to come to meet Karim Lala in Pydhonie (in south Mumbai),” claimed Raut. He further added that those who now called themselves the ‘underworld’ were just chillar. Karim Lala, who operated liquor dens, gambling and extortion rackets in Mumbai from the 1960s to 1980s, died in 2002. “Those were the days of the underworld”, Raut vividly recollected.
For a sitting Prime Minister to meet with perhaps the third most powerful gangster (Don, for the lack of a better word) is a direct indictment of Indira Gandhi as a clear relation of hers is established with the underworld. The Congress, meanwhile, knowing not how to respond to such shocking revelations, thought it best to take personal digs at Raut, with Senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam saying, “It would be better if Mr Poet sticks to entertaining Maharashtra with his light-hearted poetry. If he tries to defame former PM Indira Gandhi he will regret it later. The things he said about Indiraji yesterday must be withdrawn immediately.”
बेहतर होगा कि शिवसेना के मि.शायर दूसरों की हल्की-फुल्की शायरी सुनाकर महाराष्ट्र का मनोरंजन करते रहें।
पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री इंदिरा गांधी जी के खिलाफ दुष्प्रचार करेंगे तो उन्हें पछताना पड़ेगा।
कल उन्होंने इदिराजी के बारे में जो बयान दिया है वो वापस ले लें।— Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) January 16, 2020
कभी-कभी अधकचरा ज्ञान वीभत्स हो जाता है।
शिवसेना के मि.शायर ने कहा है कि माफिया सरगना करीम लाला पठान समुदाय का नेता था।
चौंकिएगा मत अगर कल ये कहें कि दाऊद इब्राहिम कोंकणी मसलमानों का नेता है।— Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) January 16, 2020
Congress leader Milind Deora was not pleased with the comments either, and tweeted:
Indira ji was a true patriot who never compromised on India’s national security.
As former @INCMumbai President, I demand that @rautsanjay61 ji withdraws his ill-informed statement.
Political leaders must show restraint before distorting the legacies of deceased Prime Ministers
— Milind Deora | मिलिंद देवरा ☮️ (@milinddeora) January 16, 2020
As a result of the immense backlash, Raut today issued a clarification and backtracked on his earlier statement. “The respect that I have always shown towards Indira Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi & the Gandhi family, despite being in opposition, nobody has done it. Whenever people have targeted Indira Gandhi, I have stood up for her.”
He added, “Many political people used to come to meet Karim Lala; times were different back then. He was a leader of the Pathan community, he had come from Afghanistan. So, people used to meet him over the problems faced by the Pathan community.”
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena on his statement 'Indira Gandhi used to go & meet Karim Lala (underworld don)': Our friends from Congress need not feel hurt. If someone feels that my statement has hurt the image of Indira Gandhi ji or hurt someone's feelings, I take back my statement. pic.twitter.com/7fV6Y4KyhU
— ANI (@ANI) January 16, 2020
Sanjay Raut played a crucial role in stitching up the Maha Vikas Aghadi, however, after Uddhav Thackeray took the oath, Raut felt side-lined, after his brother was denied a cabinet berth despite Sanjay putting all his weight behind the same. It must be remembered that the man is a journalist, and he may just be beginning to open a can of worms which may very well spell trouble for the Congress party.