'Will attend CM Eknath Shinde's press confererence as journalist if police allow': Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said he would attend as a journalist Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s press conference scheduled to be held here on September 16 following a meeting of the state cabinet, if police allow him to remain present there. The state cabinet is scheduled to be held in Aurangabad on Saturday to mark the Marathwada Liberation Day, also known as Marathwada Mukti Sangram Din, celebrated on 17 September annually. Marathwada Mukti Sangram Din marks the integration of Marathwada with India after security forces invaded Hyderabad and defeated the Nizam and his Razakar units on September 17, 1948. Talking to a Marathi news channel, Raut said, “The Maharashtra cabinet’s meeting will take place in Aurangabad on Saturday. If the police allow and don’t stop me, I will attend the press conference of CM Eknath Shinde as a journalist after the cabinet meeting.” “I just want to see how much CM Shinde lies,” the Rajya Sabha member, who is the executive editor of Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, said. When asked about the purpose of his Aurangabad visit around the time of the state cabinet’s meeting, Raut said, “We came to know that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is going to visit Aurangabad. He does not meet us in Delhi. So we Shiv Sainiks planned to meet him here as this is our own land. But his tour has been cancelled.” Targeting the state government over the expenses for the cabinet meeting in Aurangabad, he said, “They have a habit of grandeur. They have booked hotels in Aurangabad. This will take the state backwards. Booking hotels and taking cars on rent is a waste of public money.” Raut accused the state government of not fulfilling the announcements made previously for the Marathwada region. “A package of Rs 49,000 crore was announced in 2016 for the development of Marathwada region. How many promises have been fulfilled so far? Now it is being said that the government will announce another package of Rs 40,000 crore. The government must tell how many promises done earlier are fulfilled,” he said.