Sanjay Raut criticises Shiv Sena's rebel MLAs camping in Assam

|HT|

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday made a veiled attack at the rebel MLAs including Eknath Shinde who have been camping at a five-star hotel in BJP-ruled Assam.

In a tweet, Raut shared a picture of quote from author Rudyard Kipling which read, "Beware of overconcern for money, or position or glory. Someday you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are."

At least 38 MLAs led by Eknath Shinde are lodged in a hotel in Guwahati. Shiv Sena president and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is in a combative mood even as the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi also comprising Congress and the Nationalist Congress party rests on a knife's edge. The Sena chief will chair an executive meet at 1 pm. On Friday, Uddhav Thackeray in an emotional address described the defectors as ‘backstabbers’. In his second address late night, he accused the BJP of trying to finish off the Shiv Sena. “They (BJP) want to own Hindutva. We laid the foundation of Hindutva under Balasaheb and they are reaping the benefits,” he said.

Even as the Maha Vikas Aghadi struggles with the numbers, Sanjay Raut expressed confidence that the government will win the floor test in the Maharashtra assembly. "We will win on the Floor of the House, we won't give up. They (MLAs) have taken a very wrong step. We also gave them a chance to return to Mumbai. Now, we challenge them to come to Mumbai," he said. "We won't relent...we will win on the floor of the house (State Assembly). If this battle is fought on roads, we will win that too. We gave the opportunity to those who left, but now it's too late. I challenge them to come on the floor of the house. MVA govt will complete rest of 2.5 yrs," said Raut.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)