Maharashtra Politics: Sanjay Raut Alleges Honey Trap Led To Sena Split; BJP Dismisses Claims As Baseless Amid Lodha Arrest
The honey trap, which was a hushed discussion last week, came to the centrestage on Monday when Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged that four ministers and a number of government officials were involved in this.
The BJP, however, dismissed the claim, questioning its credibility.
In his post on 'X', Raut claimed four young Sena MPs of the then undivided Shiv Sena were honey-trapped. “They had to defect and join the rebel group of Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde,” he said.
Currently in New Delhi to attend the Parliament's monsoon session, Raut spoke with media persons and alleged that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis lied on the floor of the state assembly last week, claiming there was no proof of it.
According to Raut, the MPs who deserted the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and joined the Eknath Shinde-led party got cleansed after joining hands with the BJP.
The Congress leader Nana Patole had also raised the issue in the state assembly twice, showing a pen drive as evidence of the honey trap.
Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule accused the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders of spreading outright lies after losing power.
Reacting to Raut's statements, he said that if he has any material related to honey trap claims, he must come forward and show it.
Bawankule refuted Raut’s claim that a current minister involved in the alleged Nashik honey trap case travelled to Guwahati shortly after several Shiv Sena leaders went to the Assam city.
Another BJP cabinet minister Girish Mahajan also hit back at Raut over his allegations and dismissed them as foolish and lacking any credibility.
Speaking to reporters, Mahajan said, “Raut has made foolish claims. Just because someone has a photograph with Praful Lodha (a controversial Jalgaon politician who faces a criminal case in Mumbai), it does not mean they are part of any criminal conspiracy. Raut had posted a photograph of Mahajan with Praful Lodha to support his claims.
Mahajan added that Lodha had photos with leaders across party lines, including NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, party MLA Jayant Patil, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule.
He also has a photo with VBA (Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi) leader Prakash Ambedkar as Lodha had contested the Lok Sabha elections on a VBA ticket, the BJP minister noted.
Meanwhile, the agencies reported that Mumbai police arrested Praful Lodha, 62, for allegedly sexually abusing two 16-year-old girls and raping a woman on the pretext of giving them jobs, an official said on Monday. Two cases have been registered against Lodha at the Sakinaka and MIDC police stations, the official said.
Lodha, who was arrested in the Chakala area on July 5, is a close aide of a BJP leader, it was stated.
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