Sanjay Raut appointed Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party chief
Mumbai, Sep 18: Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has been appointed the chief of its Parliamentary Party, a party official said here on Tuesday.
A close confidant of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Executive Editor of party mouthpiece 'Saamana', Raut, 56, will now exercise complete control over the entire Sena flock of 21 members in Parliament, said the official.
The party, a part of the National Democratic Alliance, has 18 Lok Sabha members headed by Anandrao Adsul, and three in the Rajya Sabha led by Raut.
Raut's appointment, the first ever for the party, became effective after Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan late last month, seeking the arrangement as a "facilitative measure."
Thackeray's decision has been prompted by a faux pas in July when Shiv Sena Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, Chandrakant Khaire, had issued a whip to the party MPs to vote in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government during the Opposition's no-confidence motion.
Later, Thackeray removed Khaire as the Chief Whip and said that the party's decision was to abstain from voting, which was finally adhered to.
The party has also been haunted by the spectre of alleged attempts to poach its MPs by the BJP, but Raut's aggressive image and plainspeak is expected to deter any such move.
Raut, who will continue to lead as the Rajya Sabha party leader, is also expected to infuse toughness in dealing with the BJP on various issues on which the Sena was seen to be going soft, besides curbing intra-party tussles among its MPs.
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India describes attack on Fujairah 'unacceptable'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday described the wounding of three Indians in an attack on the United Arab Emirates' port city of Fujairah as "unacceptable" and pressed for an immediate cessation of hostilities targeting innocent civilians.
New Delhi's reaction came a day after the Indians were injured after a drone attack caused a fire at a major oil industry zone in Fujairah. The UAE had accused Iran of carrying out the strike.
"The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said India continued to stand for dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation so that peace and stability could be restored across West Asia.
"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues," he said.
The attack on Fujairah city came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas pass, remains a major sticking point in the talks. Shipping through the narrow Gulf waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict, triggering a sharp increase in oil prices and energy shortages in several countries.
The UAE's defence ministry on Monday said its air defence systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
The ministry affirmed that it "remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country."
