'When CJI attended Manmohan's Iftar party': Milind Deora's sharp rebuttal to Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora on Thursday hit back at Sanjay Raut for his critical comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud's residence for Ganesh Puja. PM Modi offered puja at the CJI's residence on Wednesday evening. Today, Sanjay Raut raised doubts if Uddhav Thackeray's Sena would get justice under the Supreme Court Chief and advised him to recuse himself from the case. 

Deora fired back saying, Raut was doing low-level politics. "I would like to tell Sanjay Raut and others who may not be aware of India and specifically Maharashtra's culture and tradition with regards to Ganeshotsav. During Ganesh Chaturthi, people visit the homes of even their political opponents," he said.  

"So, to make a political statement and to politicise the Prime Minister's visit to the CJI's home when he is going to take Ganpati darshan, I think, is a very low form of politics," the former Congress leader said. He also reminded that when former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted an Iftar party in 20019, then CJI had attended that. 

"One can also ask the question that in 2009, when K.G. Balakrishnan was the CJI, at that time incumbent PM Dr Manmohan Singh hosted an Iftar party at his residence which was attended by the CJI. One can ask a question then also? So, these are very immature remarks made by the Opposition," Deora said. 

The Uddhav Thackeray camp has challenged the Maharashtra Speaker's decision to recognise the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena. That case is still pending in the apex court. In a post, Raut listed several recent cases where the judiciary ruled against the leaders of the Opposition and  wrote, "One should understand the chronology to understand all such cases." 

Speaking to the media later Raut said Ganpati festivities were organised at many other places, but the Prime Minister chose to visit the CJI's residence, which has raised doubts and questions over the entire judiciary. "We now also doubt if we would be served justice in the cases we are fighting, and those which are being heard by CJI Chandrachud."