Sambhajiraje slams BJP for splitting opposition parties in Maha
He was addressing a gathering at YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai on Sunday on the occasion of the first anniversary of Swarajya Sangathana, a political outfit he formed last year. As declared by Sambhajiraje, the Sangathana would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls in 2024
Mumbai: Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati, descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, took a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for splitting political parties and toppling the government one after the other. Sambhajiraje said that the BJP wants to eliminate the opposition as part of its “divide and rule policy”.
He was addressing a gathering at YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai on Sunday on the occasion of the first anniversary of Swarajya Sangathana, a political outfit he formed last year. As declared by Sambhajiraje, the Sangathana would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls in 2024.
“What I can understand is both NCP and Shiv Sena are part of the opposition as well as ruling coalition. The chief minister of the erstwhile government was from Shiv Sena and the sitting CM is also from the same party. So, what is the role BJP is playing in this? Divide and rule,” Sambhajiraje said during the gathering.
He asked his workers to viral the videos in which deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis can be seen saying repeatedly that they will never join hands with the NCP. He also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning the irrigation scam and said that NCP is a corrupt party.
“Is the BJP going to put NCP leaders in jail or was the speech for the election campaign,” he asked.
For the last over two years, Sambhajiraje has been trying to mobilise the Maratha community to intensify the agitation for reservation for the Maratha community that was scrapped by the Supreme Court two years ago. He has held many protests including an indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai demanding reservation for the community.
He can attract Maratha voters and may dent traditional NCP votes, especially in western Maharashtra. The region is being considered as a stronghold of the NCP. Sambhajiraje is a former Rajya Sabha member of Parliament from Bharatiya Janata Party quota.
Meanwhile, the BJP responded to the allegations as baseless. Madhav Bhandari, Maharashtra vice president said, “He was Rajya Sabha MP from BJP quota and was expecting second term. The party chose another leader over him and that is the reason he is targeting BJP by making unfounded allegations.”