Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has urged people to mark late April on their calendars because that is the deadline he has set for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s exit. He predicted a regime change will take place as soon as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi touches down from Vietnam.
“April mahine ke aakhri hafte mein Modi chale jayenge. Aap likhkar rakh lo (Modi will be gone in the last week of April. Mark my words.),” he confidently declared to reporters.
Raut did not explain the basis for his prediction. His remarks coincide with a fierce political clash over Opposition protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and mounting allegations over electoral integrity.
He also referred to the attack on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff and criticised the law and order situation in Mumbai.
“Law and order in Mumbai is collapsing with each passing day. Today’s Shastra Puja might lack the bow and arrow, but come next Dussehra, you will certainly see one right here,” he said.
He cited the incident involving the actor as an example of worsening security situation in the city.
Raut had also faced criticism over an earlier post on social media in which he compared protests in Albania with political developments in India.
Sharing a video on X, he wrote, “People in Albania set the Supreme Court on fire because they were angry over its alleged support for corrupt prime ministers. Protesters also attacked Parliament, government offices and the residences of ministers. All countries should learn from these events, especially India.”
The post referred to reports of unrest in Albania and called on other countries, including India, to learn from the events.
BJP claims Rahul Gandhi is in Vietnam
The Bharatiya Janata Party has claimed that Leader o Opposition Rahul Gandhi travelled to Vietnam and questioned his absence from India. The party shared a video of a flight and used it to target the Congress leader.
In a post accompanying the video, the party wrote, “Jhooth phailate-phailate thak gaya, kuch din Vietnam ghoom aata hoon, kisi ko kya hi pata chalega (I am tired of peddling lies. Let me take a trip to Vietnam for a few days. Who is going to find out anyway?).”
BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari also criticised the leader of Opposition over the alleged trip, saying, “Rahul Gandhi is back to doing what he does best: taking breaks and enjoying holidays. Reports suggest that he has travelled abroad for a vacation. Rahul Gandhi is not in India.”
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal also accused Gandhi of spending much of his time travelling abroad. He alleged that the Congress leader visits India, creates controversy over an issue and then leaves for another foreign trip.
The political exchange follows a controversy over senior Supreme Court Advocate Prashant Bhushan’s comments on regime change during a press conference last week.
He had said that the Opposition wanted a regime change and argued that creating public dissatisfaction with a government was not a crime in a democracy. He said the immediate struggle was to ensure that elections were conducted properly.
“The government alleges that the Opposition wants regime change. We are fighting at present to ensure that elections are conducted properly. But if this kind of brutality continues, regime change will certainly happen,” he said.
He also asked, “Yes, we all want a change of government. What is wrong with that? The BJP led several movements to bring about a change of government. Now, the same party is alleging that a conspiracy is being hatched to bring about such a change.”
Criticising Bhushan’s statements, the BJP argued that the Opposition was talking about changing the government while struggling to change its own leadership.
