Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) leader and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut has raised questions about alleged political maneuvering within the Bharatiya Janata Party against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. His remarks come in response to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s controversial statement on the cleanliness of Kumbh Mela’s water, where he had categorically stated that he would never bathe in or drink water from the Kumbh Mela, calling it polluted.
Raj Thackeray had commented that people need to rise above blind faith and expressed his unwillingness to even touch the Ganga water in which millions had bathed. He had further added that his associate Bala Nandgaonkar had brought him Kumbh water, but he had refused to drink it. The statement sparked controversy, with reactions coming from various political quarters.
Responding to Raj Thackeray’s remarks, Sanjay Raut questioned why reports on water pollution at Kumbh had emerged in the first place. He pointedly asked whether this was part of an internal conspiracy within the Bharatiya Janata Party to create hurdles in Yogi Adityanath’s political path. He suggested that there could be a larger political game at play to tarnish the image of Yogi Adityanath. Raut further sarcastically remarked that if there were any concerns about the water quality, then the Uttar Pradesh chief minister should set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.
Taking another dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sanjay Raut criticized the party for allegedly altering traditional greetings used in Maharashtra. Referring to Uddhav Thackeray’s comments, he remarked that in Maharashtra, people have historically greeted each other with Ram-Ram, but the Bharatiya Janata Party had popularized Jai Shri Ram as a new slogan. He accused the party of using religious slogans as a tool to divide the country and incite communal tensions. According to Raut, Ram-Ram has traditionally been a greeting of the common people, whereas Jai Shri Ram has been imposed with political motives.
Raut further intensified his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party by shifting focus to international and domestic political issues. He alleged that former United States President Donald Trump had insulted India in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and yet the government had failed to respond. He also highlighted the issue of voter ID manipulation in Bengal, suggesting that similar incidents had taken place in Delhi and Haryana.
Calling out Raj Thackeray’s ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sanjay Raut remarked that since Thackeray was aligned with the party, he should direct his questions to them instead. He accused the party of diverting attention from critical issues and engaging in internal power struggles rather than addressing governance matters.
The controversy surrounding Raj Thackeray’s comments on Kumbh Mela water and Sanjay Raut’s allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party have added a new dimension to Maharashtra’s political discourse, especially in the context of ongoing rivalries between various factions and their alignment with national political forces. The remarks have triggered a debate on whether there is an internal power struggle within the Bharatiya Janata Party and whether Yogi Adityanath faces opposition from within his own party ranks.
