Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and a Member of Parliament, Sanjay Raut, known for his staunch words against the BJP ever since his party broke the ties with the former, made statements that are found to be a U-turn from his stand against the BJP.
He was in jail for over three months after being arrested in a case connected with the Patra Chawl money laundering. Raut has been the mouth of the party in confronting the BJP and the Shinde faction Sena.
Coming out of jail on bail on Wednesday, Raut was found to be vowing to double down the confrontation against the BJP and the Shinde faction. But his recent statements have created an embarrassment among party workers and political critics.
On Thursday, he showered praises on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying he would soon meet Fadnavis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, creating speculations of a possible reconciliation with the BJP.
Raut has reportedly said that the Thackeray faction Shiv Sena had suffered a lot and it would not oppose anyone for the sake of opposing. He added that his party would also appreciate the good work of the current government.
The fully charged speech, Raut made on his release also heard him saying that the BJP would regret his arrest and that it would learn the arrest was the biggest mistake in its political carrier, which in turn gave hope for the same level of fierce criticism the next day to his co-workers.
Instead of taking on either BJP or the Shinde faction, Raut told the media that he did not want to keep hostility with the BJP and welcomed the statement made by Fadnavis, who said that the bitterness amongst the politicians should end.
Soon after this, former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Udhav Thackeray hosted Raut at his residence Matoshree to erase any doubt about a rift between the leaders. Sanjay Raut also said he would remain a loyal Sena worker.