Alleges Political Conspiracy in New Book ‘Narkartala Swarg’
Mumbai, May 18 — Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has alleged that his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2022 was politically motivated, claiming it was a consequence of his role in preventing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from returning to power in Maharashtra after the 2019 assembly elections.In his newly released book ‘Narkartala Swarg’ (Heaven in Hell), which chronicles his experiences during incarceration, Raut asserted that his arrest stemmed from his position as a "protective wall" for the then Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
“BJP Targeted Me for Blocking Their Path to Power”
According to Raut, the BJP was unable to reconcile with its defeat in 2019 despite securing 105 seats in the 288-member assembly. He claimed his influence was pivotal in the Shiv Sena’s decision to form an alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP, leaving the BJP in opposition."The primary reason behind the ED action against me was that I stopped the BJP from forming the government. I also stood as a protective wall for the Thackeray government. After that, the government collapsed and the Shinde administration came to power through unconstitutional means," Raut wrote.
He alleged that both Eknath Shinde and then Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saw his arrest as necessary for the new government to function.
Central Agencies Used to Topple MVA Government, Raut Alleges
Raut accused the BJP of using central investigative agencies as tools for political vendetta. "With 170 MLAs supporting the MVA, ‘Operation Lotus’ was unlikely to succeed. Hence, central agencies entered the battlefield. Anil Deshmukh, Nawab Malik, and I were fixed as targets," he wrote.He further claimed that the ED had prepared a list of MVA leaders for arrest as part of a political agenda. This list included former ministers Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik, both from the NCP, who were also arrested. Raut alleged that ED action was considered against some of the 40 MLAs, including Eknath Shinde, who had rebelled against Thackeray, as well as Shiv Sena MPs.
Sena-BJP Fallout Over CM Post Triggered Political Realignment
In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, Shiv Sena and BJP had contested together but fell out over the chief ministerial post. Shiv Sena eventually joined hands with Congress and the NCP to form the MVA government, led by Uddhav Thackeray.Raut, a vocal critic of the BJP and a key strategist within the Shiv Sena (UBT), said the BJP could not digest Thackeray as Chief Minister and began plotting to unseat his government soon after its formation.
Raut was arrested in 2022 in connection with an alleged money laundering case and later granted bail. His book, ‘Narkartala Swarg’, provides a personal narrative of that period and paints a broader picture of alleged political retribution.
