Rs 2,000 cr deal to 'purchase' Shiv Sena name and symbol, claims Sanjay Raut; Shinde camp dismisses allegation

Shiv Sena leader (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that a "deal of Rs 2,000 crore" has been done so far to "buy" the Shiv Sena party name and its "bow and arrow" symbol.

However, MLA Sada Sarvankar from the camp led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde rejected the claim and asked, “Is Sanjay Raut a treasurer? In his tweet, Raut claimed that Rs 2,000 crore is a preliminary figure and it is 100% true. He also told reporters that this information was shared by a builder close to the ruling dispensation. The Rajya Sabha member said that his claim was supported by the evidence which he will release soon.

The Election Commission on Friday recognized the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the genuine Shiv Sena and ordered it to be allotted the 'bow and arrow' symbol. In a 78-page order on the protracted battle for control of the organisation, the EC allowed Uddhav Thackeray's faction to retain the allotted 'burning torch' symbol till the completion of Assembly elections in the state.

Raut said on Sunday that Rs 2,000 crore was not a small amount to "buy" the Shiv Sena's name. "The EC's decision is an agreement," he claimed. “I have reliable information that Rs 2,000 crore has been spent to acquire the name of Shiv Sena and its symbol. This is a preliminary figure and is 100% true. Many things will be revealed soon. This has never happened before in the history of the country,” Raut tweeted. Asked about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's attack on former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for "licking the soles of those with an opposite ideology", Raut asked, "What is the current Chief Minister licking?" Maharashtra does not attach importance to what Shah says. The present Chief Minister has no right to take the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Shah said on Saturday that those who chose to "lick the soles" of people with opposite ideologies have found out which side is the truth after the EC declared the faction led by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena and gave it a "bow and arrow". . symbol '. Without naming Uddhav Thackeray, Shah also reiterated that there was no agreement to share the post of chief minister before the 2019 elections.

The Shiv Sena severed its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party after the 2019 parliamentary polls results were announced, alleging that the party broke its promise to share the CM post with it. Uddhav Thackeray subsequently joined hands with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress to lead the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) until it fell in June last year after Shinde rebelled.