NEW DELHI: Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday delivered a stinging broadside against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing parallels with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.Addressing a press conference in Pune, the Rajya Sabha member said, “This country has produced great leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, P V Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, B R Ambedkar, and Bal Thackeray. Such great leaders were born from the soil of this nation.”“But when I look at the entire character of Narendra Modi, I am concerned… Because the same land that produced Aurangzeb also produced people like him. Aurangzeb was born in Gujarat,” he added.Raut’s comments come at a time when the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is facing growing speculation about its future within the opposition camp.According to sources in the NDA, Shiv Sena (UBT) is among the parties being watched closely for possible defections. Such discussions have persisted since the Mahayuti alliance’s sweeping victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, but have gathered fresh momentum in recent weeks.The Uddhav Thackeray-led party currently has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha. Under the anti-defection law, at least six MPs would need to move together to another party to avoid disqualification. TOI sources suggest that if such a development takes place, the most likely destination would be the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.The speculation has gained further traction following the rebellion within the Trinamool Congress, where a dissident faction has openly challenged party supremo Mamata Banerjee‘s leadership and signalled support for the Narendra Modi-led NDA.
