Sawant Says Police Should Not Become Slaves, Drama Queen Remark
Mumbai, November 2: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant has praised the India Bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan as the largest he has seen in decades and has criticised the Central government and the Mumbai Police in strong terms.
Sawant said the rally was so big that he could hardly believe it. He recounted that he left Mallikarjun Kharge's residence at 12 noon and reached the Ramlila Maidan gate at 3 pm, as the crowd left vehicles stuck. He said he had not seen a rally on this scale in Delhi in the last 25 to 30 years.
He said the political history of Ramlila Maidan showed that Ravan always loses whenever a movement takes place there. Sawant said the protest was against the Central government's activities, which he said were doing the work of Ravan.
The MP said the protest was not only against Gyanesh Kumar, whom he described as a representative and a puppet. “Someone else is pulling the strings,” he said, adding that Kumar presses the button and dances accordingly.
Sawant directed his sharpest words at the police. He questioned why children were detained and later given permission for a rally, and he cited the detention of Tushar Gandhi, who was dragged into a vehicle the previous day. Folding his hands, he urged the police not to become slaves while wearing the uniform. He stressed that the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression to everyone, including the opposition.
He also hit back at criticism of the opposition's protests. Sawant argued that the opposition had every right to protest and said the ruling side was doing plenty of drama itself, through crying, shouting and abusing others. He said the country and the world could see who the real drama queen was and who the main actor was.
On the question of the party's position, Sawant said the Shiv Sena (UBT) was carrying forward the ideology and values of the late Balasaheb Thackeray. He added that rallies led by Rahul Gandhi or the Maha Vikas Aghadi had only revisited selected pages of Congress history and had not answered questions about Gyanesh Kumar.
Sawant said leaders kept turning to other chapters of history instead. He recalled that leaders had apologised for their past actions and asked whether that meant both sides were equally responsible. He concluded by citing Sonia Gandhi's letter seeking the release of those involved in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, asking who else had such a large heart.