Bharat Jodo Yatra: Aaditya Thackeray Walks With Rahul Gandhi; Sanjay Raut Calls Them 'Young Leaders Capable Of Leading Country'

After Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday said he  joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra,  Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Friday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray are two "prominent young leaders" capable of leading the country.

The former Maharashtra minister who belongs to the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Sena walked with Gandhi for some time as the Congress leader's foot march entered the state's Hingoli district.  

"Someone today said that people with two different ideologies have come together. But working together for the country despite ideological differences itself is a democracy," Aaditya told reporters over the phone. 

"An attempt to crush the Constitution and democracy is going on in our state and also in the country. Against this, we have come on the road. And it is a good sign for our democracy," he said.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Congress, along with the Nationalist Congress Party, are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra.

What did Sanjay Raut say?

“Two prominent young leaders, Rahul Gandhi and Aaditya Thackeray, will walk together for Bharat Jodo and this will give rise to new energy. The two young leaders are capable of leading the country,” he said.

Raut, who was released from the jail after getting bail in a money laundering case, said the Shiv Sena was part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

“They (Gandhi and Thackeray) have a lot of energy to work for the state and the country,” he said. 

Raut on Shiv Sena-Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi coming together

Asked about the coming together of Uddhav Thackeray and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar, Raut said a bond existed between their respective grandfathers, and it has now percolated down the generations.

“Babasaheb Ambedkar and Prabodhanakar Thackeray participated in the Samayukt Maharashtra movement. Babasaheb Ambedkar had strong views about Marathi pride.

“Prabodhankar Thackeray had requested Babasaheb Ambedkar to participate in the Maharashtra movement and he accepted it,” he said.

“Ambedkar and Thackeray are two forces and when they come together, you will see the politics of the country changing,” Raut added. 

The prevailing atmosphere in the state will make the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray a bigger force, he claimed.

(With PTI Inputs)