Sena threatens to 'destroy BJP'; Sanjay Raut warns '3.5 BJP leaders to be arrested soon'

Angered by ex-ally BJP, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday, threatened to destroy BJP and arrest its '3.5 leaders'. He claimed that the BJP had insulted the Thackeray family and must remember that there was a Maharahstra govt too which can act. Raut has said that a press conference will be held at Sena Bhawan on Tuesday at 4 PM, where all BJP leaders who will be 'arrested' will be revealed.

Sena: "We have tolerated enough"

"We who have tolerated them (BJP) will now destroy them. They have insulted Shiv Sena, the Thackeray family. They will get their reply at a press conference tomorrow at Sena Bhawan at 4 PM, where all Shiv Sena leaders will be present," he said. Incidentally, BJP leaders Ashish Shelar, Chandrakant Patil and Kirit Somaiya have been attacking the Sena govt over a plethora of issues.

He added, "They warn us using Anil Deshmukh's name. They should remember Maharashtra has a govt too. 3.5 people of BJP will be in jail, next to Anil Deshmukh's cell. We are not scared of central agencies or actions." Currently, Raut and his family is under ED scanner in Patra Chawl land scam.

Recently, Raut wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu alleging that he was approached to help in toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government. He claimed that some persons had warned him that his refusal to assist in this mission will lead to the imprisonment of more Ministers and leaders of the ruling coalition to force midterm Assembly elections in the state. Moreover, Raut asserted that ED is trying to falsely implicate him in some cases after he turned down the offer to destabilise the Maharashtra government.

Sena-BJP ties have soured since they split in 2019 with party chief Uddhav Thackeray claimed that Sena had "wasted" 25 years in an alliance with BJP.  He fumed, "If the Shiv Sena supremo (Balasaheb Thackeray) was alive, you know what he would have said. BJP has a 'use and throw' policy. You (Amit Shah) give a clarion call and then unleash ED and Income Tax on us. This is not courage."

BJP-Sena fallout

Prior to the 2019 Maharashtra state polls, Shiv Sena had reiterated that it will accept only the 50:50 formula, while BJP denied ever having agreed to such a formula. It allegedly offered 13 cabinet portfolios to Sena while keeping 26 for its ministers. Apart from Sena's portfolio demand, the party had demanded a sharing of 2.5 years in the CM post too; this too was  refused by Devendra Fadnavis, stating, 'The next govt will be formed under a BJP CM.' With no respite to the deadlock, Sena allied with NCP-Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance - ushering Uddhav Thackeray's maiden CM term on November 28, 2019.