Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that a transaction of ₹2,000 crore has taken place to “purchase” the name and ‘bow and arrow’ symbol of Shiv Sena. Raut in a tweet claimed the ₹2,000 crore was a preliminary figure and this was 100 per cent true. The Rajya Sabha member said his claim was backed by proof which he would disclose soon, saying a builder close to the ruling dispensation shared this information with him.
He also told reporters that the way the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised the faction led by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena was not justice but “business”.
“And so far a transaction of ₹2,000 crore has happened in that case. This is my primary guess. This is my FIR. This decision was bought,” the Rajya Sabha member claimed.
“The government, the leader, and the group of unscrupulous people that puts a price of ₹50 crore to buy an MLA, bids ₹100 crore to buy a member of Parliament, bids ₹1 crore to buy our councillor and shakha pramukh, you can guess how much they can bid to buy the party symbol and party name,” Raut further alleged. “It’s ₹2,000 crore according to my knowledge.”
However, MLA Sada Sarvankar from the Shinde camp dismissed the claim and asked, “Is Sanjay Raut a cashier?”
In a 78-page order on the protracted battle for control of the organisation, the EC recognised the Shinde-led faction as real Shiv Sena and allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to keep the “flaming torch” poll symbol allocated to it till the completion of the Assembly by-polls in the state.
“The EC’s decision is a deal,” Raut alleged. “I have reliable information that there has been a deal of ₹2000 crore to get the Shiv Sena name and its symbol. This is a preliminary figure and is 100 per cent true. Many things will be revealed shortly. Never before this has happened in the country’s history,” he tweeted.
