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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

SS MP threatens to ‘bomb’ political opponents

Journalists staged a protest outside Balasaheb Bhavan against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Dina Patil, condemning his alleged remarks against members of the media. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Mumbai North-East MP Sanjay Dina-Patil – who recently defected to the ruling ally Shiv Sena apparently went haywire on Thursday, hurling bomb threats at political opponents, spitting expletives at protestors, warning jounos of assault and warning anybody “to do whatever you can”, sparking a massive political...

SS MP threatens to ‘bomb’ political opponents

Journalists staged a protest outside Balasaheb Bhavan against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Dina Patil, condemning his alleged remarks against members of the media. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Mumbai North-East MP Sanjay Dina-Patil – who recently defected to the ruling ally Shiv Sena apparently went haywire on Thursday, hurling bomb threats at political opponents, spitting expletives at protestors, warning jounos of assault and warning anybody “to do whatever you can”, sparking a massive political furore. Elected on a Shiv Sena (UBT) ticket, Dina-Patil lost his temper when he was questioned on his daughter and SS (UBT) Municipal Corporator Rajool Patil who went to meet ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray to express her allegiance despite her father’s defection to the Shiv Sena led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. Instead of replying, Dina-Patil, reported to be short-tempered, blew his top and reacted aggressively with abuses: “Record this on camera… I have spoken to you for 2 minutes, I respect you, you should do the same… Don’t mess with me. If you return here, I will thrash and send you back. I am saying this in front of the police, you do whatever you want.” Just a couple of days ago, Dina-Patil had threatened SS (UBT) workers protesting against him. “Anybody who tries to cross my path, I will send them to the crematorium or the hospital. We have committed five murders in the past. If you protest against me, I will throw bombs on you and enter your house to hammer you.” As these threats and unparliamentary language stoked a massive political row, SS (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shot off a letter to Mumbai Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti, demanding that the police probe all the statements of Dina-Patil and ‘book him for murder’. On the alleged bomb threats, Raut said if Dina-Patil had acquired the explosives from some terrorist organisation, he should be arrested under the dreaded Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, dealing with terrorism, terming it as a matter of national security. Political Explosion The matter escalated into a full-fledged political brawl with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders like Congress’ Nana Patole, Vijay Wadettiwar; SS (UBT)’s Aditya Thackeray, Sunil Raut, Sushma Andhare; Nationalist Congress Party (SP)’s Supriya Sule, Dr. Jitendra Awhad, Jayant R. Patil, and many more, attacking Dina-Patil and demanding that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis must act in the matter. Aditya challenged Dina-Patil to instantly quit as MP, recontest in the name of Shinde or PM Narendra Modi and then see the outcome. Andhare said till the MPs were with SS (UBT), they were cultured but after walking over to the Shiv Sena, they have lost all their etiquettes or fear of the laws. Faced with an embarrassing backlash, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Shiv Sena’s Omprakash Babarao alias Bachhu Kadu quickly tendered unconditional apologies to the media on behalf of Dina-Patil, while Minister Girish Mahajan attempted to equate the outburst with recent strong language used by Sanjay Raut, who had said that “Shinde has given birth to 6 traitors”. On Raut’s letter to the CoP, a defiant Dina-Patil declared: “Whatever I said, I did it openly. If the police feel any action is to be taken against me, I am ready to face the consequences.” He again slammed the media persons for "thrusting microphones at him”, going to the ‘other side’ (the MVA) and then returning to quiz him, prompting the TV Journalists Association and other media groups to protest and seek action against the belligerent MP. “Has the MP been provided (Y-Plus) security at public expense to threaten the media which is doing its duty or the political protesters?” asked an irate TV reporter. Dina-Patil launched a broadside against the MVA and dared those who dubbed him a ‘traitor’ to come to his constituency without any security. On the incident of five murders, he airily said: “It had happened before I was born”, but Raut retorted claiming to possess details of all those alleged killings. “I don’t need an entourage of 10 vehicles as I rule the hearts of the people. I have aligned myself with ‘real men’. Shinde Saheb has commended me for my stand,” he claimed. Fadnavis and Shinde commented briefly on the matter and later were closeted in a meeting to discuss the fallout of Dina-Patil’s utterances especially after the media launched strong protests in different parts of Mumbai.

RSS’ stark warning to BJP: Listen to us or Perish

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Sangh insists on criteria for candidate selection, prioritising grassroots connections and ideological commitment

RSS’ stark warning to BJP: Listen to us or Perish

Mumbai: As Maharashtra gears up for the Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is expressing growing discontent with the BJP’s approach to the polls. Sources familiar with the situation suggest that the RSS has issued a stern warning to the BJP: shape up or face consequences. This tension underscores the larger anxiety within the RSS over the BJP's dismal performance in Maharashtra in the June 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Implicit in the RSS’s intervention is the threat that failure to heed its advice could lead to a rupture in the relationship between the two organizations.

“The RSS has indicated to the BJP that this will be the last opportunity for the party to correct itself. If it fails, the RSS may find an alternative to the BJP,” said a source close to the developments.

He revealed that the RSS has laid down specific guidelines and expectations for the BJP, emphasizing that this election represents the party's last chance to align with the Sangh's vision and restore its standing.

The source further said the RSS had made it clear that Maharashtra election was “a litmus test” for the BJP as far as its relations with the Sangh are concerned. “If the BJP does not listen to what Sangh says, the Sangh might explore other options in the near future. And this message has been clearly conveyed to the BJP leaders. Now, it us up to the BJP whether or not listen to the RSS.”

In a series of meetings held across Maharashtra's key regions—Konkan, Western Maharashtra, Devgiri and Vidarbha—the RSS leadership conveyed its dissatisfaction directly to senior BJP figures including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and former state president Chandrakant Patil.

One of the RSS’s primary concerns is the disconnect between BJP leaders and the party’s traditional supporters. The Sangh has observed a growing sense of disillusionment among loyal BJP workers, who feel sidelined by what they perceive as the arrogance and aloofness of the current leadership. In its meetings, the RSS leadership stressed the need for BJP leaders to engage more authentically with the party base.

“The RSS has categorically told to the BJP leaders that they will have to reach out to the party workers and sympathisers with an open heart and mind,” the source said. “The RSS believes that the loyal BJP workers are dejected because of the arrogance and aloofness of the party leaders. If these workers are won over the BJP could get back in a position to put up a fight in the election.”

In June, a closed-door meeting in Pune’s Moti Baug area further highlighted the depth of the RSS’s concerns. The meeting, which included several BJP leaders — either defeated candidates or campaign managers from losing constituencies—served as a forum for the RSS to directly convey its displeasure with the BJP’s campaign strategies and organizational shortcomings.

For the RSS, this is not just about winning an election; it is about safeguarding the ideological integrity of a movement that has shaped India’s political landscape for nearly a century. After the current ‘ultimatum,’ the onus is on the BJP to correct course and realign with the Sangh’s expectations.

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