Pune: Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader Sanjay Raut Compares PM Narendra Modi To Aurangzeb, Sparks Fresh Political Controversy

Pune: Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, triggering a fresh political controversy during a press conference held at Hotel Ketan on Fergusson College (FC) Road in Pune.

Responding to celebrations marking Prime Minister Modi's completion of more than 4,000 days in office and comparisons being drawn with India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Raut said that the length of a leader's tenure should not be the sole criterion for judging greatness.

Aurangzeb was also in power for 4,732 days. What will you do then? Compare him with Nehru or Modi?” Raut asked. He further claimed that Modi came “from the same soil where Aurangzeb was born,” referring to Gujarat.

Raut strongly opposed the comparison between Modi and Nehru, praising the former Prime Minister's legacy. Pandit Nehru served as Prime Minister for more than 16 years. The entire world respected him. He was the real Vishwaguru,” Raut said.

When asked why he believed there could never be another Modi in Indian politics, Raut launched a sharp personal attack on the Prime Minister. “Such an extreme and ruthless individual has never been born in the political history of this country. Great leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Balasaheb Thackeray were born on this soil. But when we look at Modi's entire character, one wonders where he came from,” he said.

Raut also targeted his political opponents, warning them about the consequences of losing power. “First worry about your own party. When power is no longer in your hands, you will not even find water to drown in. People here will drown you even without water. Understand this, Sanjay Raut is saying it,” he remarked.