Chhagan Bhujbal’s supporters seek Raj Thackeray’s backing for his release from jail

Raj Thackeray advised them to start a ‘Release Bhujbal’ agitation and promised to help, said Bhujbal’s supporters

Supporters of former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who is currently in jail, met MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Monday seeking his support in the demand to release their leader.

Chhagan Bhujbal was arrested in March 2016. (HT FILE)

Raj Thackeray advised them to start a ‘Release Bhujbal’ agitation and promised to help, said Bhujbal’s supporters. The NCP leader was arrested in March 2016 by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case and has been unable to secure bail. His supporters said despite cooperating with the investigations, all efforts were made to keep him in jail. They called it a politics of vengeance and said they will hold a massive rally in March in Bhujbal’s support. They also said that development in Nashik, where Bhujbal is the legislator and MNS previously ruled the civic body, had suffered due to Bhujbal’s imprisonment.

Raj refused to comment anything while saying he was aware of the case and it was not proper for him to say anything. Incidentally both Thackeray and Bhujbal are known to be sworn enemies and spare no efforts to run each other down.

In fact in 1996 when Raj was in the Shiv Sena which was ruling the state, it was Bhujbal who dragged him in the Ramesh Kini murder case. After that both of them continued to trade blows on each other. However, in 2015 Bhujbal did visit Raj when his mother Kunda sustained fractures in a mishap.