"Because Of Weak Maharashtra Government": Sanjay Raut On State Border Row

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday attacked the ruling Eknath Shinde government of the state and said that the border dispute started because of a weak government in Maharashtra.

"The Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute has started again because of the weakness and inability of the current government in Maharashtra. This government has no idea about the state," Raut said while speaking to reporters.

He said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has appointed ministers to solve the dispute, but he has no time to meet Karnataka's chief minister, and the Prime Minister.

"While Karnataka CM is laying claims on 'Jath' tehsil, there's been nothing done by Maharashtra government," he said.

Jath (or Jat) is located in Miraj sub-division of Sangli district that borders Karnataka.

Raut further said that there is BJP in power in Karnataka, while the Maharashtra government works under BJP's pressure.

"Some want to divide Mumbai, others want to divide different districts of Maharashtra. All this is a part of a conspiracy which is on for the last three and a half months," he alleged.

He said that CM and his 40 MLAs had gone to Guwahati. Thankfully, there was no claim on a district of Maharashtra made by the chief minister of Assam. "The state will get divided into many parts with the kind of government ruling Maharashtra," he alleged.

Raut, who was recently released on bail in a money laundering case, questioned how Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and his government were tolerating the remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)