Rahul Gandhi faces threat to life, alleges Raut over remarks by Sena, BJP lawmakers

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Wednesday alleged conspiracy against Rahul Gandhi and threat to his life, as he condemned the remarks made by BJP-Shiv Sena lawmakers against the Congress leader.

Talking to reporters, he also questioned the "silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the remarks made by the leaders of ruling parties against Gandhi.

"People from Delhi, Lucknow and Maharashtra are speaking the same language that he (Gandhi) will meet the same fate as that of his grandmother (Indira Gandhi) as well as his father (Rajiv Gandhi). The Home Minister and Prime Minister are not taking action means they are with the people who make such remarks," Raut said.

"We condemn this (the remarks on Gandhi) and also the silence of these two leaders (PM and HM). He is a Leader of Opposition, and has a Cabinet rank. When your party people talk of assaulting him and you (PM and HM) remain quiet. This cannot be tolerated," the Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member said.

"There is a conspiracy against Rahul Gandhi and there is threat to his life. Some people are thinking of attacking him," he added.

BJP's Rajya Sabha member Anil Bonde has said Gandhi's tongue should be singed as what he said about reservation was "dangerous".

His remark comes in the wake of Shiv Sena's Buldhana MLA Sanjay Gaikwad kicking up a row by announcing a Rs 11 lakh reward to anyone chopping off Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system.

During his recent visit to the USA, Gandhi told students at the Georgetown University there that the Congress would think of scrapping reservation when "India is a fair place", which he said is not the case right now.