"Condemn Sanjay Raut's Sinister Threat": Rajya Sabha MP Jethmalani Asks Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar

Rajya Sabha member Mahesh Jethmalani reacts to Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut's statement about rebel MLAs

Rajya Sabha member Mahesh Jethmalani on Thursday asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to condemn a statement by his party Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut that the Sena's rebel MLAs "will find it difficult to return and move around in Maharashtra".

Senior lawyer Jethmalani is a nominated member of the Upper House and was associated with the BJP until a few years ago.

Mr Raut, also a Rajya Sabha MP, had made the statement when speaking to NDTV earlier in the day about the rebellion by the party's legislators led by Eknath Shinde. Responding to a specific question about whether Uddhav Thackeray will remain the chief minister or not, Mr Raut had said, "Let all the MLAs come to the floor of the House. We will see then. These MLAs who have left... they will find it difficult to return and move around in Maharashtra." The Sena has since softened its stance. 

In his tweet about Mr Raut's statement, Mr Jethmalani termed it "a sinister threat from a man who has become a law unto himself in the state of Maharashtra". He said there was a need for it to be "strongly condemned by every right minded legislator in the country", particularly by Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Shard Pawar.