Raju Shetti slams BJP for ‘political’ Tiranga yatra

Mumbai: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) president and MP Raju Shetti on Thursday slammed the BJP, asking the party to join the Samvidhan Yatra instead of its own Tiranga Yatra. Shetti claimed that the Samvidhan Yatra is non-political and that all political leaders cutting across party lines will participate in it. “We will hold the Samvidhan and Tiranga nation flag in our hands. It is our success that BJP has organised the Tiranga Yatra,” he said.

Shetti has organised the Samvidhan Yatra, starting from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue at the Oval Maidan to Gateway of India and leaders from various political parties including Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, Seetaram Yechuri, Omar Abdulla, D. Raja, Ajit Pawar, Prithiviraj Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde will participate in the yatra. Shetti said, “There won't be speeches.We have faith in our Samvidhan and we will pay tribute to Dr Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. If the police does not allow us to go to Gateway of India owing to any cultural programme, we will take darshan from a distance with the police's permission.”

Meanwhile, BJP has organised its own Tiranga Yatra from Chaityabhumi at Dadar to the labour ground at Elphinstone in what is widely perceived as an answer to the opposition's Samvidhan Yatra. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and many BJP ministers, MPs and MLAs will participate in this yatra. Slamming the BJP, Shetti said,

“Our yatra is non-political. Narendra Modi became the PM from being a chai- wala because of our Constitution. So, if the BJP has faith in our Constitution, instead of a separate yatra , it should join us.”

Shetti’s Demands

Shetti on Thursday demanded that a judicial probe be initiated into the Bhima-Koregaon issue and the culprits be arrested immediately. “If the government is sensitive and concerned about the sentiments of the dalits, it should take action against the accused without any delay,” he said. He added that the Bhima-Koregaon incident is very serious and that the probe should be conducted by a sitting judge of the high court.