Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut linked the firing incident involving Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff to what he alleged was a mafia network operating in Mumbai. In a big attack, he claimed that “Amit Shah is Lawrence Bishnoi” and accused the Union Home Minister and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of being the “real sardars” of the mafia.
“Lawrence Bishnoi doesn't even exist. Because Amit Shah is Lawrence Bishnoi,” Raut said at the Shiv Sena (UBT) Dussehra rally.
The remarks came days after the Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the October 18 firing at Shroff's car. Three shooters opened fire at the actor's vehicle as he was leaving a ground in Juhu after playing football.
In his address, Raut said, "We want to change the regime. Mumbai is in hands of mafia. And Amit Shah and Devendra Fadanvis are the real sardars."
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also targeted the BJP leadership over the attack, questioning how the accused managed to bring weapons to the spot in the first place.
“An attack took place on Tiger Shroff the other day. Did you rush to meet him immediately to gain publicity? But how did the attackers manage to bring weapons there in the first place?” Thackeray said.
He questioned whether the response to the incident deserved a Shaurya Medal, adding that shooting the attackers as soon as they arrived would have been something worth acknowledging.
“The Bishnois are sitting around eating dhokla,” Thackeray said and challenged Fadnavis to "go to Delhi and confront their leader directly if he had the courage."
Raut also spoke about the party's legal battle over its bow-and-arrow symbol, expressing confidence that it would be restored to the Shiv Sena (UBT) by next year's Dussehra rally.
“Today we don't have the bow and arrow, but next year we will have our symbol,” he said, adding that the party's fight was in court and that he was optimistic about the direction of the arguments.
Turning to the younger generation, Raut praised Gen Z for its slogans and posters, saying the BJP had spent hundreds of crores of rupees trying to tarnish Rahul Gandhi's image, while young people had managed to make their impact without spending a single rupee.
He also took a swipe at the BJP's religious messaging, saying that people had been told to chant “Jai Shri Ram” as a solution to every problem, but that doing so for 10 years had changed nothing.
- Ends