Mumbai, June 22 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, Sanjay Raut, on Monday launched a scathing verbal assault against Lok Sabha MP Omraje Nimbalkar, labeling him a “notorious traitor” and also claimed that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was being used to weaken Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Raut asserted that turncoats possess no ideological core, driven entirely by naked self-interest.

The outburst follows Nimbalkar’s decision to jump ship from the Uddhav Thackeray camp to join Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde-led faction, despite behind-the-scenes efforts by Thackeray loyalists to convince him otherwise.

Speaking at a press conference, Raut pulled no punches regarding Nimbalkar’s exit. He dismissed Nimbalkar’s request to his supporters to refrain from criticising the Thackeray family or Matoshree as mere hypocrisy.

“Do traitors ever have a stand? Those who abandoned Uddhav Thackeray are nothing but notorious betrayers. If Om Nimbalkar believes his father’s soul will bless him for this move, that is his lookout. He is now sitting thigh-to-thigh with the very individuals he spent years accusing. This is the absolute peak of shamelessness and greed,” roared Raut.

Raut went on to drop a bombshell, claiming that the party leadership has full knowledge of a financial transactional betrayal. He alleged that Uddhav Thackeray has received precise details regarding who accepted money on Nimbalkar’s behalf, including how and where an initial advance of Rs 15 crore was delivered.

He reiterated that breaking the Shiv Sena is equivalent to breaking the pride of Maharashtra, describing Eknath Shinde as a “contract killer” and alleging that he was working at the behest of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Turning his attention to the recent Nashik Legislative Council election results, Raut pointed at massive internal fissures within the ruling Mahayuti coalition as in Nashik, BJP rebel Gokul Gite dealt a humiliating defeat to the Shinde faction’s official candidate, Narendra Darade.

Raut revealed that despite massive pressure from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde to make Gite withdraw, the alliance’s own electorate revolted. Raut disclosed that Gite had actively sought cooperation from the Thackeray camp.

“After discussing with Uddhav Thackeray, we extended our support, which directly propelled Gite to victory. The BJP voters themselves ensured Shinde’s candidate was defeated. This is a clear sign of internal outrage,” he claimed.

Raut further alleged a larger political conspiracy orchestrated by the central BJP leadership in New Delhi. He argued that the growing friction between the BJP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena is merely the beginning of a larger collapse.

According to Raut, Delhi is intentionally backing Eknath Shinde to systematically erode the political authority of Chief Minister Fadnavis.

“The bolstering of Shinde from Delhi is detrimental to Maharashtra,” Raut argued. “Shinde is being used to diminish the stature of Devendra Fadnavis. Concurrently, our Shiv Sena is being targeted to weaken Maharashtra’s collective bargaining power, ultimately to hand over Mumbai’s assets to a handful of favoured industrialists,” he alleged.

When questioned about his party’s stance in this escalating tension between the coalition partners, Raut concluded with a grim metaphor: “It’s not about choosing a side. We are looking at a choice between a ghost and a demon. But if this demon created by Amit Shah sits heavily on the neck of Devendra Fadnavis and threatens the state, we will step in and take an appropriate stand for Maharashtra.”

–IANS

sj/rad