Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut Slams BJP Over Suvendu Adhikari’s CM Appointment

After senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was chosen as the chief minister of West Bengal, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday accused the BJP of “rewarding corruption” and practising “washing machine politics,” referring to the 2014 Narada sting operation.

Raut alleged that Adhikari, credited with helping the BJP secure a historic victory in West Bengal and ending Mamata Banerjee’s long rule in the state, was among several Trinamool Congress leaders seen allegedly accepting cash on camera in the sting operation conducted by Tehelka journalist Mathew Samuel.

“In the 2016 Bengal elections, the BJP aggressively promoted those videos against the Trinamool Congress. But once Suvendu Adhikari joined the BJP, the party deleted those videos from its official channels,” Raut said.

“Today, the same person has become the chief minister, and the BJP is celebrating him. What morality and what ideology is this?” he asked.

Raut alleged that the BJP had created a pattern where opposition leaders facing allegations of corruption or central agency action later joined the party and were politically rehabilitated.

“ED and anti-corruption raids were conducted against him. Once those raids began, he joined the BJP and today he has become Chief Minister. He is still inside the BJP’s washing machine, and the stain has not been cleaned yet,” he said.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also targeted the Maharashtra Government over a controversial land dispute involving 254 acres in Mira Bhayander, alleging that valuable government land had effectively gone into the hands of private real estate interests.

Calling it a “loot of public land”, Raut questioned how 254 acres of government land in Mira Bhayander had gone to private landlords and companies despite government records allegedly showing that the land originally belonged to the state.

According to Raut, the land had been leased out several decades ago, but private entities, including Mira Real Estate Developers, Mira Salt Works, and Estate Investment, gradually secured control over it through court orders passed in 1996, 2002, and 2018, along with administrative decisions taken at the district level.

Raut said the Maharashtra Government had now admitted that the land was government-owned and had decided to challenge the Bombay High Court order before the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition (SLP).

“It is good that the government has decided to move the Supreme Court. But if a minister had taken such a decision directly, the same courts would have termed it corruption and questioned the transparency of the transaction,” he said.

Questioning how the state lost the case despite having senior lawyers representing it, Raut alleged that the government’s defeat raised serious doubts.

“How did Maharashtra lose such a major case despite having top lawyers? Was the case deliberately lost?” he asked.

Raut demanded complete transparency in the matter and sought disclosure of the identities and backgrounds of the companies involved, as well as details of any political links connected to the land dispute.

“This is not just a legal battle. This is a question of protecting land belonging to the people of Maharashtra. If 254 acres of public land go into private hands, how will future roads, hospitals, and public infrastructure projects come up?” he said.

He urged the Maharashtra Government to pursue the matter aggressively in the Supreme Court and ensure that the land is brought back under government control.