Sena's Raut says Trump's 'Namaste' aides spread Covid in Mumbai, Delhi; hails Rahul Gandhi

Even as Maharashtra is facing its worst Covid-19 crisis, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that the Namaste Trump event held in Ahmedabad in February was responsible for the spread of coronavirus in Gujarat and later in Mumbai and Delhi. Raut also hit out at the Centre saying that the lockdown was implemented without any planning, but now the responsibility of lifting the curbs was left to the states.

The Sena MP said that despite the opposition BJP's attempts to pull down the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, there was no threat to it as its survival is the 'majboori' (compulsion) of all the three ruling allies- Sena, NCP and Congress.

In Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', he said: "It can't be denied that the spread of coronavirus in Gujarat was because of the massive public gathering held to welcome US President Donald Trump. Some of the delegates, who accompanied Trump, also visited Mumbai, Delhi, which led to the spread of the virus."

Raut said that any move to pull down the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government and impose President's rule in the state citing its failure to curb the coronavirus pandemic would be suicidal.

"The state had witnessed how the President's rule was imposed and lifted as per will six months ago. If the handling of coronavirus cases is the basis of imposing President's rule, then it should be done in at least 17 states, including the BJP-ruled ones. Even the central government has failed to curb the pandemic as it had no planning to fight the virus," he said.

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Raut praises Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar

The Sena MP went on to praise Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and has said that he has made an excellent analysis of how the lockdown has failed. "It is shocking that people can indulge in politics by demanding President's rule in Maharashtra for the rise in the coronavirus cases," he said.

Raut also praised NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and said that he laid the foundation stone of the 'Thackeray sarkar'. "He continues to say the government is stable and even the Congress is not going anywhere. MVA legislators are not up for sale in horse-trading. Hence, if the opposition says that the government will fall, it is wrong," he said

"Even if there are internal conflicts among the ruling partners, there is no threat to the government as the allies know that its survival is the 'majboori' of each one of them," Raut said. He said that the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, in which the BJP and Shiv Sena shared power, saw internal conflicts between the ruling allies, but it completed its full five-year term. "If the Fadnavis government, which witnessed deep internal conflicts between BJP and Sena, didn't fall, how can this one collapse? The Fadnavis government survived despite the (Sena) ministers carrying their resignation letters in their pockets," Raut wrote.

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