Pawar, Bal Thackeray helped Modi escape arrest, claims Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP made the claims about NCP and Sena founders, during UPA rule, in his book 'Narkatala Swarg'

- Saurabha Kulshreshtha

MUMBAI: In a stunning revelation, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has claimed that Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, during his tenure as agriculture minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had protected then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi from arrest and then Gujarat home minister Amit Shah from legal action.

Raut made the claims in a book titled 'Narkatala Swarg' (Heaven in hell) which he wrote based on his memories of jail time in 2022, after his release.

Ahead of the book's launch today, Raut called on Pawar on Friday inviting him for the launch and also presented a copy to him. The book will be launched at the hands of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Pawar, lyricist Javed Akhtar and All India Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale.

Raut was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over charges of corruption and money laundering in the Patra Chawl redevelopment, in Goregaon. He was arrested on August 1, 2022 — nearly two months after Eknath Shinde split the Shiv Sena, toppled the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, and allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become the chief minister the state leading the Mahayuti.