Amid the uproar over allegations of corruption against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in the Parliament on Monday, 22 March, independent MO from Amravati Navneet Rana claimed that she had been threatened by Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on the House’s premises. Sawant, however, rubbished the charges.
In a letter addressed to Speaker Om Birla, Rana alleged that she was threatened by Sawant as she raised issues against the deteriorating law and order in the state. Rana said that she lodged a police complaint in the matter.
Rana’s Allegation
Rana alleged that “... Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant threatened me in the Parliament lobby, saying ‘Tu Maharashtra mein kaise ghumti hai, main dekhta hoon. Tujhe toh jail mein daalenge’ (I shall see how you roam around in Maharashtra. Will put you behind bars).” “Several times in the past, I have been sent threats of death and acid attacks via letters and phone calls by the Shiv Sena,” she added.
Calling it an insult to not just her but all the women of Maharashtra, Rana demanded strict action against Sawant.
Speaking to ANI, Rana narrated how and when Sawant issued the alleged threats. “He threatened me while crossing me after I finished speaking on the House floor. I was at a loss for words and thought I had misheard him. I turned to a colleague sitting behind me and asked him if he had heard something. He said he did hear him threaten me,” Rana said.
“I have lodged complaints and written the Speaker before. But this time I have been threatened in the House, the temple of democracy,” Rana said, adding, “I wonder if women are not safe in the Parliament, how are they safe in Maharashtra?”
Rana said that Sawant also commented on her body language. “When I was speaking, they (Shiv Sena leaders) said my body language was not good. Will a man tell me how I should speak? Will a Member of Parliament, a colleague of mine tell me how I should speak? It is up to me how I want to put forth a subject during the session,” Rana said.
Sawant’s Claim
Speaking to ANI, Sawant rubbished the allegations and said that if there was anybody who heard him threaten Rana, they should come forward.
“This is false. Navneet Rana spoke to me several times, referring to me as bhaiyya and dada. I am a Shiv Sainik. I have never threatened a woman and I never will. There were people around her, they should come forward and speak out if I threatened her”
Sawant further said that he did not approve of her “body language”. “The way she talks is what I don’t like. You can see all the video clips of her, whenever she talks about CM Uddhav Thackeray. You should see her body language. She says spiteful and hateful things. But we have never said anything. She has always been saying such things,” he said, adding that she took a chance to speak about the matter when at least six people before her had raised the same issue.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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