BJP lashes out at Shiv Sena for dual role on agriculture bills

Shiv Sena has taken a contradictory stand on the agricultural bill passed by the central government in Parliament amid the ongoing monsoon session. In Lok Sabha, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant welcomed the bill but Sanjay Raut in Rajya Sabha opposed it. 

Reacting to this, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nilesh Rane has attacked Raut saying that he is not considered a leader and his opinions are not valued. 99 per cent of Shiv Sainiks are irked by Sanjay Raut. Whenever the opportunity arises, the Shiv Sainiks take a stand against him and the party’s role remains on the sidelines. 

“First the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), then the Agriculture Bill. Both bills have been supported in Lok Sabha and opposed in Rajya Sabha. Shiv Sena MPs in Lok Sabha don’t value Sanjay Raut and don’t consider him as a leader. Whenever the opportunity arises, the Shiv Sainiks take a stand against him and the party’s role remains on the sidelines,” Nilesh Rane tweeted in Marathi. 

आधी CAA नंतर कृषी बिल, दोन्ही वेळेला लोकसभेत समर्थन राज्यसभेत विरोध याचं कारण, शिवसेनेचे लोकसभेचे खासदार संज्या राऊतला किंमत देत नाही व नेता मानत नाही. संज्या ९९% शिवसैनिकांना खटकतो म्हणून संधी मिळेल तेव्हा ते संज्याला फाट्यावर मारतात आणि पक्ष भूमिका राहते बाजूला.

— Nilesh N Rane (@meNeeleshNRane) September 22, 2020

Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, accused Shiv Sena of being a confused party and said that it plays different roles in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

“When they (Shiv Sena) was in power with us, they took the role of both the ruling party and opposition. It is important to take a role first. Shiv Sena has never taken a stand on agriculture,” Devendra Fadnavis said. 

The farmers and not opposed to the agriculture bills and they welcome it, Fadnavis said while claiming that some leaders are opposing it to run their own shops. This is not a political issue and BJP’s top priority is to stop the exploitation of farmers, he added. 

Earlier, eight MPs were suspended from Rajya Sabha for “misbehaviour” during the passage of farm bills on Sunday. The opposition, however, claims that the suspension is a result of expressing an opinion against the two “anti-farmer” agricultural bills which were passed via voice vote in the upper house.