“Disheartening…responsibility of PM Modi, Shah to ensure law”: Sanjay Raut on army officers’ killing in J&K

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 15 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that the encounter incident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag is “disheartening” and added that it is the responsibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure law in the Union Territory.

Taking a jibe at the central government over the encounter, Raut said, “When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were showering flowers on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the success of G20, at the same time, terrorists were showering gunshots on the army officers in Anantnag. Three of our senior officers will killed in the encounter. This is disheartening. It shows that the situation is abnormal in Jammu and Kashmir”. 

“If Jammu and Kashmir have been declared a union territory, it is the responsibility of the PM and the Home Minister to ensure law and order over there. Don’t you feel sad? Why isn’t there a statement on this from your side”? Raut questioned the Centre. 

Earlier on Wednesday, an Indian Army Colonel commanding a Rashtriya Rifles Unit along with a Major and a Deputy Superintendent of Police were killed in a gunfight with terrorists in the Kokernag area of Kashmir’s Anantnag district. 

The killed officers have been identified as Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonak & DSP Humayun Bhat.

Further, the Shiv Sena leader said, “On one hand, you (central government) say that you will acquire the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), on the other hand, you are playing cricket matches with Pakistan and doing business with the country”. 

Speaking on the special session of the Parliament, which will be held from September 18 to 22, Raut said, “This government wants to take a grip over the judicial systems of the country and the Election Commission as well. It may happen that they would impose a dictatorship on the country”. 

The Centre has called for a special session of Parliament for five days between September 18 and 22.

Meanwhile, 24 parties of the INDIA bloc have agreed to participate in the special session of the Parliament.

The agenda for the special session has however not been revealed yet.

On being asked about the Sanatana row, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “I think it is not controversial anymore. A clarification was given by MK Stalin Sahab (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin). 

Notably, Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin earlier, speaking at a public event, had called for the ‘eradication’ of the Sanatana religion and equated the same with diseases like Dengue, Malaria, etc., which was highly condemned by the BJP leaders. 

Speaking on the Maratha reservation, Raut said, “The law and order situation is serious in Maharashtra. The situation is abnormal. A youth has been holding a hunger strike for 17 days”.

On September 1, a clash broke out between police and those demanding reservations for the Maratha community. Police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the demonstrators.

Manoj Jarange Patil who works as a coordinator for the Maratha Morcha and has been on a hunger strike for the past few weeks for Maratha reservations continued his strike. He has held extensive talks with the Maharashtra government but a breakthrough is yet to be achieved.

Jarange Patil has demanded a change in the ordinance issued by the state government regarding Maratha reservations. Their stand is that the fast to death will continue unless the desired change is made in the ordinance. 

Meanwhile, an all-party meeting was held on Monday on the Maratha reservation at Sahyadari Guest House in Mumbai. 

After the conclusion of the meeting, Maharashtra CM Shinde said that the government has decided to give reservations to Marathas and accepted many of the protesters’ demands.

“In the meeting, we have decided to give reservation to Marathas. The government is of the view to give reservations to Maratha without touching the other (castes) reservations,” CM Shinde said.

He further said, “The decision to give reservations to Marathas must be valid legally and it must stand in law, so we are working on it…the government has accepted many of the protester’s demands too.”