Weeks after the Maharashtra assembly elections that resulted in a resounding victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, Shiv Sena UBT leader is still in denial about the poll outcome and insinuated that a Syria-like coup can happen in India to force a regime change and “safeguard democracy.”
“How can you blame the opposition when the democracy is being killed? You should ask this question to the Prime Minister about this country. Will all this work in the country in the name of democracy? And for how long will people tolerate this? Some day or the other, the public will rise in rebellion and oust the leader just like people of Syria drove Bashar al-Assad out of their country,” Raut said.
A violent coup like Syria against PM Modi should happen in India as well – Sanjay Raut.
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) December 11, 2024
When they can't defeat electorally, they resort to violence. pic.twitter.com/BZOqkcQjF8
Raut’s remarks were made during an interview with The Wire, the far-leftist propaganda portal known for publishing hitjobs against the Modi government, most notably Tek Fog and Meta stories that the portal had to ignominiously withdraw after being called out for its lies.
However, the portal has continued with its propaganda peddling, platforming voices notorious for gaslighting the public with fake allegations against their political rivals. Raut, too, has been indulging in similar behaviour, attempting to foment an insurrection against the Centre on the lines of Syria where its President Bashar al-Assad had to flee after rebel groups took over the country. But Syria has been a hot bed of ISIS terrorists and Islamic extremists, where President Bashar al-Assad was propped up to lead the nation with the help vested interests like Putin’s Russia.
India, on the contrary, is a democratic country that follows the norms enshrined in the constitution framed by the founders of the nation. It is for this reason, the opposition leaders, including Raut, and propaganda portals like The Wire stoke unfounded fears of “democracy in danger”—in a bid to discredit the popular mandate received by the BJP and instigate their supporters to pull off a “Syria-like coup” in India. Perhaps, the opposition leaders want Syria-like turmoil and unrest that characterise the Middle East just because they are out of power and the people of the country have exercised their democratic right to vote Modi and his party to power at the Centre and many other states.
Even before leaning on the volatility in Syria, the opposition and its cheerleaders in the media had tried to stir up rebellion by hailing the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh as a “democratic expression” against tyranny. But ever since the Islamist takeover of Bangladesh, the persecution of minorities has been going on unabated, with Hindu voices championing the cause of minorities suppressed and jailed.
However, Raut’s atrocious remarks follow the stupeduous victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party which performed extraordinarily well in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The BJP contested 149 seats, out of which it secured victory in 133, which equates to an 89% hit rate. Notably, during Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, the BJP-led alliance managed to win only 17 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The Shiv Sena UBT was among the worst performing parties in the elections and Raut’s statements underscore palpable desperation among the opposition ranks, especially after the stunning reversal from the Lok Sabha elections, signifying a remarkable shift in the voting preference of the people of Maharashtra.
