Atal Bihari Vajpayee was second Nehru of Indian politics: Sanjay Raut

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Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut on Wednesday hailed the late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the "second Nehru" of Indian politics, during a media interaction, news agency PTI reported.

Raut remarked that as India observes the birth centenary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the country will continue to remember him whenever "Raj Dharma (the duty of governance)" is under threat, PTI reported.

"Although my party is not aligned with BJP, Vajpayee will always be remembered," Raut said, adding, "The current BJP may try to undermine the legacy of India's first Prime Minister, Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru, but Vajpayee was the second Nehru. He was the Nehru for non-Congress parties."

According to PTI, Raut further highlighted that despite his strong commitment to Hindutva, Atal Bihari Vajpayee always believed in the inclusive nature of India.

"Vajpayee believed the country belongs to all," he stated, adding, "The BJP under Vajpayee was inclusive, and people trusted that the party wanted to keep India united and strong."

Raut also noted that even Pandit Nehru had acknowledged and respected Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He added, "Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had tremendous respect for Vajpayee and valued his opinions."

"Whenever Raj Dharma is under threat, the country will remember Vajpayee," Raut emphasised.

When asked about Shiv Sena (UBT)'s plans for the upcoming local body elections in Mumbai, Raut replied, "Let the poll schedule be announced, and you will know... but we have already started our preparations."

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) is part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which also includes the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Thackeray had severed ties with BJP after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly Elections over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

In the recent state elections, the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, won 230 out of the 288 assembly seats, while MVA secured only 46 seats.

The elections for various civic bodies in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are overdue. The undivided Shiv Sena had controlled BMC for 25 consecutive years, from 1997 to 2022.

(With PTI inputs)