MPs sent to countries that have nothing to do with Indo-Pak issue: Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed that the Centre sent multi-party delegations of MPs to visit several countries that have nothing to do with the Indo-Pak issue following ‘Operation Sindoor’.

He said the government is instead interested in “showmanship rather than substance”.

Speaking to a regional news channel, Raut asked, “What is the need to send delegations to countries that have nothing to do with the India and Pakistan issue? The selection of nations like Liberia, Congo, and Sierra Leone raises serious questions.”

He was referring to a delegation led by Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde of Shiv Sena, headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, that left for the UAE earlier in the day and is also expected to visit a few African nations.

Raut claimed that the timing and intent behind the move suggested that it lacked strategic clarity.

“The way these delegations are being dispatched is not right. Countries with no geopolitical relevance to the India-Pakistan conflict are being chosen, which shows the government is more interested in showmanship rather than substance,” Raut said.

The Rajya Sabha MP emphasised that the Modi government was using foreign trips as a means to create global optics rather than serious diplomatic engagement after ‘Operation Sindoor’.

“The Union government should send delegations to countries that are our neighbours, such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and China. Although China helped Pakistan, we should have sent our delegation. Another country our delegation should go to is Turkiye as it supported Pakistan. Our government should go there and expose Pakistan,” he said.

Raut also took a dig at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal’s re-entry into the Maharashtra cabinet.

“It was Fadnavis who once declared Bhujbal the biggest corrupt leader in the state and ensured his imprisonment through the ED. Today, fate has made him welcome Bhujbal with flowers into his own cabinet,” Raut said.

This shows the “hypocrisy” of the current government, he said.

“We have no issue with Bhujbal becoming a minister again. After all, he spent 25 years in the Shiv Sena, and his return to office is welcome. But this exposes the false faces of Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde.

“The same Fadnavis who once sent Bhujbal to jail is now forced to call him a great leader. Either Fadnavis lied earlier, or he is okay with having corrupt ministers as long as they serve his political purpose,” added Raut.