Govt will hang Tahawwur Rana during Bihar polls, claims Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut
Mumbai, Apr 10 (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said 26/11 terror attack key accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who was extradited to India on Thursday, should be hanged immediately and claimed the government will do so during Bihar elections.
Raut also demanded that Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was captured in 2016 and was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying, be brought back home. India has dismissed Pakistan's accusation as concocted.
According to New Delhi, Jadhav was kidnapped in Iran where he had legitimate business interests, and brought to Pakistan. To save Jadhav, India moved the International Court of Justice, which ordered Pakistan to stay his execution.
"Rana should be immediately hanged but he will be hanged during the Bihar polls (scheduled later this year)," Raut told PTI.
Raut said there was a 16-year-old battle to bring Rana to India and it started during the Congress rule. "So no one should take the credit of bringing back Rana," Raut added.
The Sena (UBT) MP said Rana is not the first accused to be extradited to India. In the past, 1993 serial blast accused Abu Salem too was extradited to India, he noted.
He also demanded that economic fugitives Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi be extradited to India.
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Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance announcement for civic polls likely next week
Mumbai (PTI): The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are likely to announce next week their alliance for the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, with seat-sharing for all the civic bodies, except Mumbai, almost complete, leaders of both the parties said.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15, and the counting of votes will take place the next day.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS will forge an alliance for the polls in municipal corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune and Nashik, among others.
The Sena (UBT) is headed by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, while his once-estranged cousin Raj is the president of the MNS.
"Talks for all civic bodies, except Mumbai, are complete. The sticking point is about the seats that we are demanding in Marathi-dominated areas. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is not still not agreeing to it which has delayed the seat-sharing. But the talks have to be over soon since the date of filing nominations starts next week (December 23 to December 30)," an MNS leader said.
Talking to reporters, MNS leader and former MLA Nitin Sardesai said, "It is appropriate to say that the talks are in final stages but it is difficult to say when it will be officially announced. I can only say that all sides are putting efforts to complete the talks and they are working towards it."
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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab met Raj Thackeray to discuss seat-sharing.
A Sena (UBT) leader said talks are in final stages and there is no hurdle in the seat-sharing agreement.
"The two brothers are expected to officially announce the alliance between the two parties on Monday in a public event or through a press conference that will set the tone for the civic body polls," he said.
Raj Thackeray quit the undivided Shiv Sena blaming Uddhav for his exit in 2005 and floated the MNS in 2006. They had been political rivals since then.
However, after the drubbing of their parties in the Maharashtra assembly polls in 2024 - the Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, while MNS drew a blank - both leaders decided to put behind their political acrimony and find a common ground for survival.
Over the past few months, the two cousins shared the stage or were spotted at public forums together multiple times for various reasons.
The cousins publicly ended their two-decade-long estrangement in July, where they addressed a joint rally. At the event, Uddhav said they have come together to stay together.
