Writ of ‘Shivaji Fan Club’ runs in Maharashtra, that of ‘Aurangzeb Fan Club’ in Gujarat: Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: The writ of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s fan club runs in Maharashtra, while that of the "Aurangabad Fan Club" runs in Gujarat, where the Mughal Emperor was born, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Saturday.

He said the people of Maharashtra loved his party chief Uddhav Thackeray in a similar way they loved his father and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and that the “cronies of Aurangzeb from Gujarat” cannot finish the Sena (UBT).

The Rajya Sabha member said Shiv Sena was born out of the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire.

“This is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Maharashtra. Here, the writ of ‘Shivaji Fan Club’ runs. The writ of ‘Aurangzeb Fan Club’ runs in BJP and Gujarat because Aurangzeb was born there,” he said.

Raut’s remarks came days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at the recent BJP’s state convention in Pune, dubbed Uddhav Thackeray the head of the "Aurangzeb Fan Club" who was “sitting with people who sought pardon for 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon”.

“Who is the ‘Aurangzeb Fan Club’? Those who serve biryani to (26/11 terror attack convict) Kasab, those who seek pardon for Yakub Memon, those who give (controversial Islamic preacher) Zakir Naik a messenger of peace award and those who support the (banned Islamist outfit) PFI. Uddhav Thackeray should be ashamed of sitting with these people,” Shah had said.