Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sawant slams EC; targets Eknath Shinde over dance bar row

New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, Arvind Sawant, launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission (EC), the Maharashtra government, and senior BJP leaders, accusing them of compromising democratic institutions and sheltering tainted ministers.

Reacting to Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks on the Election Commission, Sawant said the EC is acting like a "slave" and had lost all sense of neutrality.

“They are doing unlawful work beyond limits. Shiv Sena has suffered due to their actions (referring towards Shiv Sena’s split). What's happening in Bihar and West Bengal is not isolated; they’ll do the same across the country,” Sawant told IANS in Mumbai on Saturday.

He also criticised the EC’s selective scheduling of meetings, revealing that a scheduled meeting between Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Commission was abruptly cancelled, citing internal work. “But the very next day, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde met with the EC officials. This is not how democracy functions,” Sawant said, suggesting blatant bias in favour of the ruling faction.

Sawant expressed outrage over Maharashtra Home Minister Yogesh Kadam being linked to a dance bar controversy. “Shinde rushes to Delhi either to ask the EC to save him or to cover up his ministers’ wrongdoings. One must understand the seriousness — Maharashtra’s Home Minister running a dance bar is a serious matter. Where is the Ethics Committee now?” Sawant asked.

He alleged that such instances reflect the true “character of the BJP” and expose the kind of alliances it maintains.

Commenting on Kadam’s decision to surrender the bar licence, Sawant questioned whether it absolved the minister of wrongdoing. “Does surrendering the licence fix everything? Will he still remain the Home Minister of Maharashtra?” he asked, adding that the reputation of the state was being tarnished.

He criticised CM Devendra Fadnavis for remaining silent, stating, “It’s unclear who is stopping him from acting. Shinde is just a puppet, it is Home Minister Amit Shah who is running the show.”

On reports that a former ATS officer faced pressure to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Sawant said, “It is just politics. BJP always plays the Hindu-Muslim card. Why did that officer not say it earlier”, he said, adding that, “someday, even Election Commissioners will speak the truth about the pressure they faced from the BJP.”

--IANS

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