Sanjay Raut, a member of the Shiv Sena (UBT), has been charged with sedition and other offences by the Yavatmal police for penning an offensive article against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana.
The complaint against Raut, the executive editor of Saamana and member of the Rajya Sabha, was made by Nitin Bhutada, the district coordinator for the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the official.
Bhutada stated in the complaint that on 10th December, Raut penned an offensive piece against Prime Minister Modi.
According to the official, the case against Raut was lodged on Monday (11th December) at the Umarkhed police station in Yavatmal under the IPC sections 124 (A) (sedition), 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.), and 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes).
“We have registered the case as per the complaint and will conduct a probe into it,” the police said. Raut meanwhile commented on the issue and said, “We have respect for PM Narendra Modi. Amit Shah made remarks on Former PM Jawaharlal Nehru a few days earlier, will a case get registered against him? We have democracy in this country and many politicians give statements. If people would register cases against it, then they don’t have the right to say that they fought against emergency.”
Nagpur, Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on a case registered against him for objectionable writeup against PM in 'Saamana'; says, "We have respect for PM Narendra Modi…Amit Shah made remarks on Former PM Jawaharlal Nehru a few days earlier, will a case get… pic.twitter.com/hfYGIwsRR5
— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2023
According to the local reports, Raut in the party mouthpiece Saamna made objectionable comments against BJP and PM Modi while speaking about the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections. He said that the prime objective of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah was not to defeat the Congress but to politically finish Shivraj Singh Chouhan on his home turf. “The Bharatiya Janata Party high command used every opportunity to insult former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,” the article read.
He also said that Congressman Kamal Nath had a big role to play in the BJP’s success in the recent Madhya Pradesh election. “Nath left his home for campaigning around 10 a.m. and would be back by noon after holding a rally at some nearby place. In contrast, Shivraj Singh held no less than 15 election rallies a day, thus creating an enthusiastic atmosphere for BJP voters,” said Raut.
The leader of the Sena (UBT) claimed that Kamal Nath was to blame for the cancellation of the INDIA bloc’s first meeting in Bhopal. “The Congress needs to eliminate these sardars,” Raut said, referring to Kamal Nath, before the 2024 elections.
He also voiced his doubts regarding the impact of electronic voting machines (EVMS) on the outcomes in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh states where the Bharatiya Janata Party secured decisive wins.
He stated that the Congress had an advantage in 199 seats in Madhya Pradesh during the counting of ballot papers (postal ballots), but that the outcome was different when the votes from electronic voting machines (EVMs) were tallied.
