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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Bengal: On way to PM's rally, 3 mowed down by train amid dense fog
Kolkata (PTI): Three persons died and three others were injured after being hit by a train amid dense fog on Saturday, while travelling to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Taherpur in West Bengal's Nadia district, a senior official said.
The incident occurred between Taherpur and Badkulla railway stations under the Sealdah-Krishnanagar section of Eastern Railway, he said.
Modi, whose helicopter could not land at Taherpur due to dense fog and low visibility, condoled the death of the “BJP workers” in his virtual address from Kolkata airport.
“I have come to know that some BJP workers, while travelling to the rally, lost their lives in a rail accident. My condolences are with the families of those who have lost their loved ones, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi said.
The Eastern Railway official told PTI that the incident occurred in the morning when these people, who were travelling by a bus, had stopped the vehicle and walked to the railway tracks to answer nature's call.
"While three persons died on the spot, two others with injuries were admitted to a local hospital," he said.
Another person with minor injuries was released after having been administered first aid, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Ramprasad Ghosh (74), Shaktipada Sutradhar (55) and Gopinath Das (38).
Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress MP from Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district, alleged that the BJP ignored the incident and went ahead with the rally.
"Terrible tragedy hushed up at altar of @narendramodi ego. @BJP4India supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM rally in Ranaghat today," she said in a post on X.
"4 went to answer nature's call and were killed by 31814 down local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out & went ahead with rally," Moitra claimed.
Reacting to her remarks, the West Bengal BJP, in a post on X, asserted that the TMC "has always been adept at milking tragedies", and was being "disrespectful to the unfortunate victims of this tragedy".
The TMC alleged that BJP leaders have not shown "neither concern nor compassion" over the mishap.
"The loss of three lives in Taherpur should have united everyone in grief. But @BJP4India leaders showed neither concern nor compassion," it said in another post on X.
"At this painful moment, Smt @MamataOfficial and Shri @abhishekaitc put humanity above party lines and stood beside the families of the deceased," the party said.
TMC’s on-ground leaders promptly reached out to the grieving family members, ensuring them of help and assistance, it said.
"While Delhi’s rulers chase Bengal with arrogance, our leadership chose empathy. This is the difference between politics of power and politics of people!" the TMC added.
