Looking at the ever changing positions of Sanjay Raut, one can only feel Maharashtra is today completely, politically rotten to the core. The daily drama of Shiv Sena and NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) spokespersons appearing on TV, putting up a brave face to endeavor to defend the indefensible continues regardless.
For the uninitiated reader, anything and everything is possible there when a police official, Sachin Vaze allegedly acts as a hit man for the sitting Home Minister of the state – to assist collection of extortion money, it is the lowest of the low in politics. The degeneration of the situation into a complete lawlessness ridden state cannot be more accentuated.
Sachin Vaze, a Maharashtra Police API (Assistant Police Inspector) has been arrested in connection with gelatin sticks found planted in a Scorpio car near India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani’s 1 billion dollar mansion “Antilia” in Mumbai. From the CCTV footage seen, it has been alleged that Sachin Vaze is the man who planted the explosive sticks and left a ransom note.
Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the car in which the sticks and ransom note were planted has been murdered. It is also being alleged Sachin Vaze was present when Mansukh Hiren was murdered, allegedly ordered by Sachin Vaze.
These developments have taken place after the former Mumbai Police Commissioner and now DG Home Guards Maharashtra, IPS officer Param Bir Singh sent a long letter to Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra making serious allegations against the NCP meber of his cabinet and Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh.
Despite all this, the Shiva Sena warrior, a Rajya Sabha member for the party from Maharashtra, Sanjay Raut is badgering on as if nothing wrong or illegal has taken place and everything is hunky dory.
Only two weeks back, soon as the finger pointing to Sachin Vaze started, the government hailed the cop as ‘honest and capable officer’. Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member for Maharashtra and editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece publication ‘Samna’ had said:
“I believe Sachin Waze is a very honest & capable officer. He has been arrested in connection with gelatin sticks that were found. One suspicious death also occurred. It’s Mumbai Police’s responsibility to investigate the matter. No central team was needed,” he claimed.
I believe Sachin Waze is a very honest & capable officer. He has been arrested in connection with gelatin sticks that were found. One suspicious death also occurred. It's Mumbai Police's responsibility to investigate the matter. No central team was needed: Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena pic.twitter.com/qWKyXgp5sH
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2021
And now:
Going diagonally opposite to his position before Param Bir Singh’s “letter bomb” alleging extortion racketeering by Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in which Sachin Vaze features as the person in charge of collections, the same Sanjay Raut has claimed he had expressed his apprehensions to party leaders about reinstating Vaze to the Maharashtra police force.
During a TV interview on Monday (March 29), Sanjay Raut said, “When there was plan to reinstate Sachin Waze into the Maharashtra police force, I had informed some leaders that he could create problems for us. His behaviour and style of working could lead to some troubles for the government.”
For political convenience, he cannot name the party leaders but they are ‘well aware’ of the conversation.
Sanjay Raut claimed his credentials as a journalist with sufficient experience to know the likes of Sachin Vaze.
Mr Raut believes the revelations about Sachin Vaze are good as the teach their government some important lessons.
“This whole incident of Waze’s activities and controversies thereafter taught a lesson to the MVA government. It was good in a way that it happened and taught us some lessons.”
Also read: Param Bir Singh accuses Anil Deshmukh of running extortion racket
Again for political convenience, according to Sanjay Raut, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray backed Sachin Vaze so vociferously telling people not to attack Vaze – he was not Osama Bin Laden – only because Uddhav Thackeray was not aware of Vaze’s heinous activities.
Once the explosives (gelatine sticks) were found, the NIA officials took over and started peeling the layers off the conspiracy which is now biting the MVA government of Uddhav Thackeray. Of course it is hurting Shiv Sena and it surprised no one when Sanjay Raut said:
“We respect NIA but our Police could’ve done it too. Mumbai Police & ATS are well respected but central agencies repeatedly enter Mumbai & demoralise Mumbai Police – it creates instability in the state & creates pressure on Mumbai Police & administration”.
A lot more is to come in this sordid saga of three wheeler government of the three very unfriendly friends who married each other for pure political convenience.