I stand by my statement: Raut on allegations of Rs 2,000 crore deal to purchase Sena symbol

Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut on Monday claimed that he has proofs to his allegations against the Election Commission on selling 'bow and arrow' symbol for Rs 2000 crore and will reveal it at the appropriate time.

"We've approached Supreme Court against the EC. I stand by my statement that there was a deal of Rs 2000 crore by which the Shinde faction got the party name and symbol," ANI quoted Raut as saying. When the right time comes he will reveal the proofs, he said. He said that his party will put out the "proof" of the allegations when the right time comes. "What is the need to say all this in the Supreme Court petition, I am speaking, ain't I? At an appropriate time, we will come out with proof in this regard," he said.

Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed a "deal of Rs 2000 crore" has taken place so far to "purchase" the Shiv Sena party name and its 'bow and arrow' symbol, two days after the Election Commission allotted them to the group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Raut in a tweet claimed the Rs 2,000 crore was a preliminary figure, and that this was 100 per cent true.

He also told reporters that a builder close to the ruling dispensation shared this information with him.

Responding to a complaint filed against him Nashik over objectionable comments against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shindw, Raut said that he is not scared of such tactics.

"I have heard that complaint has been registered over this statement. Even if one lakh such complaints are registered, Sanjay Raut will not be scared," he said.

The Election Commission on Friday recognised the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered allocation of the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to it.

In a 78-page order on the protracted battle for control of the organisation, the EC allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to keep the "flaming torch" poll symbol allocated to it till the completion of the Assembly bypolls in the state.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday refused an urgent hearing of a petition by the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, challenging the Election Commission's order to allocate the bow and arrow symbol to Shinde camp.

"Sorry. You have to come under the mentioning list. Come tomorrow," the bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud for an early listing of the Thackeray-led Sena faction's petition.