India

Shiv Sena leader wonders if Vajpayee’s death news was kept on hold for PM I-Day speech

Shiv Sena lawmaker, Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena lawmaker, Sanjay Raut in a Marathi article titled, “What is Swarajya?”, in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, said that he wondered whether the news of Vajpayee’s death was kept on hold on account of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech on August 15, PTI reported. However, he didn’t explain the reason of his doubts.

“Rather than our people, our rulers should first understand what is ‘swarajya‘ (self-rule). Vajpayee died on August 16, but from 12-13 August, his condition was deteriorating. To avoid national mourning and lowering of flag to half-mast on Independence Day, and also (as) Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to make his elaborate speech from the Red Fort, Vajpayee left this world on August 16 (or his death was announced),” Raut said.

He accused the government of India of shielding” those who had heckled National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar for shouting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Hind” at a condolence meeting for Vajpayee.

ALSO READ: Farooq Abdullah booed at, shown shoes in protest, as Azaadi slogans reverberate Hazratbal

“This new kind of freedom has now emerged,” he said. He dismissed reports of terror plots in the run-up to Independence Day.

“When it is learnt that police have captured terrorists who had planned to carry out attacks in Delhi, it tells you that Independence Day is nearing,”Raut said. “It is true that welfare schemes are run on the tax which honest people pay. It is also true that Prime Minister’s foreign tours are funded by the same money, and thousands of crores are spent on advertisements from the same money. This is how the new ‘Swarajya‘ is functioning,” he stated.

Recently, the Shiv Sena has announced that it will contest the 2019 election. It earlier backed away from its agreement with BJP to vote for them during the no-confidence motion.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee died at All India Institute of Medical Sciences on August 16. He was 93.

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