Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut Seeks Law to Bar PM, CMs From Election Campaigning

Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday called for a law that would bar the prime minister and chief ministers from participating in election rallies.

In an article in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', he said comments were made on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "jumping into muck", adding that the Centre had become a "factory of elections".

"There were comments made on the prime minister during the Gujarat polls. All this happened as the PM himself jumped into the muck. It should stop now. There should be a law in place to stop the PM and CMs from participating in election rallies," Raut said.

"The parliament is the supreme constitutional institution in the country where new laws are made in every session. Now everybody should show the willingness to make a law to bar the PM and CMs from holding election rallies," he said.

Taking a dig at the BJP, Raut said the government's coffers were looted most by the Congress, but those who raised a voice against this were in power today.

However, the loot of the government's coffers has not stopped, he commented.

"Government money and machinery is being used for election rallies when a prime minister or a chief minister campaigns. We will now have to demand that this money should be recovered from the party, be it of Manmohan Singh or Narendra Modi," he said.

The Sena leader said when a PM or a CM goes for an election rally, they do not go on a personal visit but have their supportive machinery with them.

"Modi held 40-45 rallies in Gujarat for which he used government aircraft and helicopters. Being a PM, he spent crores of rupees of government money for election campaigning. His predecessors did not do anything different. The Centre has become a factory of elections," Raut said.

He said after Gujarat, assembly polls in Karnataka will be announced in three months time, and in another six months, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will go to polls.

"Fighting polls and winning them with any possible means has become the only concern for the government. The only way to stop all this is to have the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together, or the PM and the CMs are kept away from campaigning. Or they should resign from their posts and then campaign for their party," Raut said.