New Delhi [India], January 21 : Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday morning accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to "turn the tide" ahead of the elections in Mumbai while asserting that Mumbai remains a safe city.
He further accused the BJP of raising the "Bangladeshi issue" each time before elections and said that the responsibility lies with Union Home Minister Amit Shah if there was an influx of Bangladeshi nationals in Mumbai.
"The security is fine in Mumbai. BJP apni hawa bana rahi hai...jab bhi kuch hota hai to Bangladeshi ka mudda layenge..abhi chunaav aya na Mumbai ka (BJP was trying to turn the tide...they raise the Bangladeshi issue whenever anything happens in Mumbai...now that elections are coming). If there are Bangladeshis in Mumbai, then who is responsible? The Union Home Minister. What are the Union Home Minister and Defence Minister doing?" Raut remarked during a press conference.
Reacting to the letter written by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena raising concerns over the alleged involvement of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants in criminal activities, senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Raut said that they are worried about Bangladeshi at the time of elections only. He questioned LG's timing of writing the letter, saying that the BJP government remains in power for 10 years.
"They are worried about the Bangladeshis at the time of the elections. Why did they not think of it earlier? They have been in power and they must answer how Rohingyas and Bangladeshis entered our country. The LG is writing letters now, could he not see the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in the last 10 years?" Raut said.
The Delhi LG's letter came following the attack on Saif Ali Khan in Mumbai where a Bangladeshi national was implicated in a house break-in and assault. He wrote a letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner and directed the launch of a special mission to identify such infiltrators.
Meanwhile, Raut earlier attacked the BJP-led Mahayuti government over the attack on Saif Ali Khan and expressed concerns about the safety of the common people. The UBT MP questioned Maharashtra's Home Minister on the prevailing law and order situation in the state. Raut further claimed that such incidents are happening on a "daily basis" in slum areas but this incident came to light because a celebrity was attacked.