EXCLUSIVE | You can see it as retaliation, but we didn’t start it: Sena on demolition of Kangana’s office

BJP believes Shiv Sena attacked them by forming Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, Sanjay Raut said adding that the attack on a retired Naval officer was not planned.

Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP who was recently appointed the national spokesperson for Shiv Sena shared his views on recent developments in an exclusive conversation with India Today TV. He spoke about the attack on a retired Naval officer in Mumbai by angered party workers and the feud with actor Kangana Ranaut.

"There has been an extreme reaction. There should not have been a reaction," Raut said referring to the assault on a retired Naval officer over a cartoon he shared of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

"But this is not a planned attack. We have not denied that these men are Shiv Sainiks," he said about the six men arrested and later released on bail in connection with the assault on retired Naval officer Madan Sharma.

"We are acting Do not politicise. But we ask, why provoke? Criticism is part of democracy. We all criticise. We do and we shall criticise in the future. We did not say maar-pitai!" Raut told India Today TV. He went on to add, "We haven't instigated the violence. In Uttar Pradesh, an ex-serviceman's family attacked. Was there any regret by the Uttar Pradesh government? This should not happen anywhere."

"There has been action when there is cartoon, there was action. In Bengal, a girl was arrested," Raut mentioned.
Responding to questions about actor Kangana Ranaut, Sanjay Raut said, "We were mentally prepared that if we will rule the Maharashtra government, we will face these kind of difficulties."

"You can see this as retaliation but we did not start it," he said about the demolition of Ranaut's Pali Hill office by the BMC.

"This government (Maha Vikas Aghadi) will run for five years. Governor (Maharashtra) also seeing this tamashaa but Governor is also majboor," Sanjay Raut told India Today TV adding, "It is deliberate. What does she (Kangana) want to prove? She is deliberately poking."

He also said, "Kangana has Y+ (security), a gang-raped woman has no security while she has."

Expressing his views over Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's conversation with the retired Naval officer who was assaulted, Sanjay Raut said, "Rajnath ji spoke to ex-naval officer. How many people speak about the Maharashtra government? BJP believes we have attacked them by forming the government."