Maha being run like underworld, CM, Dy CM leading their gangs, claims Raut

Mumbai, Apr 6 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday attacked the Maharashtra government and claimed the state was being like the underworld that once operated in Mumbai.

Criminals and the corrupt are being protected and the “chief minister and deputy chief minister are running their gangs”, Raut, a key aide of former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, told reporters here.

“This (Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis dispensation) is not a government. The state is being run like the underworld that operated from pockets of Thane and Mumbai. The chief minister and deputy chief minister are running their gangs,” Raut alleged.

On the Supreme Court on Thursday refusing to entertain a plea by 14 political parties alleging arbitrary use of Central agencies against opponents, Raut said the way the Bharatiya Janta Party is celebrating after the apex court’s order shows their happiness.

“The ED (Enforcement Directorate) and CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) are being misused against political opponents. Why is no action being taken against those who have been cleansed in the BJP washing machine,” he said.

The “washing machine” reference is often made by opponents of the BJP who claim politicians being probed by agencies get a reprieve or are absolved after they join the saffron party.