Despite the police asking him to stay away, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has decided to attend a press conference scheduled to be held after the special state cabinet meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, earlier known as Aurangabad, on Saturday.
”I have procured the pass which is given to reporters to attend the Chief Minister’s press conference. I will try to attend the press conference and ask a couple of questions, including those related to the government’s attempt to splurge crores by holding a special meeting here in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar,” Raut told The Indian Express.
The press conference by the Chief Minister and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar is slated to be held in the afternoon. The special cabinet meeting is being held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to mark the 75th Marathwada Liberation Day or Marathwada Mukti Sangrama Din.
Raut claimed the government is “terrified” at the thought of him attending the press conference and asking probing questions. “Two police personnel came to my hotel room and urged me to stay away from the press conference. The government is terrified, the government is tense, it cannot take inconvenient questions,” he said.
Raut said although he is an editor (Saamana’s executive editor), he is first a reporter. “I have started my career as a reporter and I have a right to attend the press conference. I will be going to the press conference. Let’s see if the police allow me. On my part, I do not want any tension to be created because of me,” he said.
On Friday, Raut reached Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar where the state cabinet meeting will be held after seven years. The government move has drawn severe criticism from the Opposition leaders who have questioned the logic behind the “extravagant display of wealth” at a time when the Marathwada region is facing drought.
Most Read
Jawan box office collection day 9: Shah Rukh Khan-Atlee film is already ahead of Pathaan, crosses Rs 700 crore mark in record time
Deepika Padukone says she did Jawan only for Shah Rukh Khan, King Khan says ‘we fooled Deepika’
Raut said, “I heard that the state cabinet is likely to clear a package of Rs 40,000 crore for the Marathwada region. The government should first answer questions as to what happened to the Rs 49,000 crore which was announced when Devendra Fadnavis was the chief minister in 2016.”
He added, “The government had promised to set up a transport hub in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and provide jobs to over one lakh youths. What happened to the transport hub? Are they still trying to locate vacant land for the transport hub? What happened to the jobs that the government had promised? Devendra Fadnavis is again a part of the government. There are several such questions that we want to ask the government.”
“The cabinet meeting will be held only for a day. The CM and his deputies and scores of bureaucrats will stay for two days. As many as 30 rooms have been booked for the CM, his deputies and the ministers at a five-star hotel. For officials, security personnel and drivers, over 200 rooms have been booked. Crores are being splurged by the government at a time when the people of the Marathawada region are staring at a drought. Instead of taking steps to alleviate the miseries of the people, the government is taking steps to entertain itself. This is an anti-people government,” Raut said.
Credit: Source link
