Nagpur: Just a day after BJP’s landslide victory in four states out of the five states, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut took a jibe at Bahujan Samajwadi party (BSP) leader Mayawati and All India All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
Raut in a statement said they should be awarded a Padma Vibhushan or Bharat Ratna for their ‘contribution’ in BJP’s win. He said, “BJP achieved a great victory. UP was their state, still, Akhilesh Yadav’s seats have increased 3 times, from 42 to over 125. Mayawati & Owaisi have contributed to BJP’s win, so they must be given Padma Vibhushan, Bharat Ratna.”
The Shiv Sena leader also said that despite BJP’s victory in four states, the chief minister in Uttarakhand lost and two deputy chief ministers lost their ground in Uttar Pradesh. He further added that BJP was completely eliminated from Punjab. Raut said, “The PM, Home Minister, Defence Minister, everyone campaigned tremendously in Punjab, then why did you lose in Punjab? UP, Uttarakhand, Goa were yours already, which is fine. But, you have lost more in Punjab as compared to Congress and Shiv Sena in UP.”
Both the parties—BSP and AIMIM have been accused by many in the opposition for being “B” teams of the BJP that contest polls to divide anti-BJP votes. The parties have however denied these allegations.