Declare June 20 as 'World Traitors Day': Sanjay Raut to UN

Ekanth Shinde along with a group of legislators after deserting the undivided Shiv Sena joined hands with the BJP to form a government in Maharashtra.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The rift in the combined Shiv Sena started on June 20, 2022, when a group of legislators led by current Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde left for Surat in Gujarat. Shinde and the legislators, who supported him, then joined hands with the BJP to form a government in Maharashtra.

Since then Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has been calling Shinde and the MLAs, who supported him "traitors". Now, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has demanded to the United Nations that June 20 should be observed as 'World Traitors Day' so that people across the globe remember the "traitors".

"I am writing to you with an appeal to observe June 20 as World Traitors Day," Raut wrote in a letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. According to Raut, on June 20, a huge group of 40 legislators left Shiv Sena "after being instigated by the Bharatiya Janata Party."

• PUBLIC DEMAND!@UN@antonioguterres@UNinIndia @PMOIndia @UNICEFIndia @BJP4India @AUThackeray @unfoundation @UNHumanRights pic.twitter.com/OJ5qu28oY2

  — Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) June 20, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  PUBLIC DEMAND!@UN@antonioguterres@UNinIndia @PMOIndia @UNICEFIndia @BJP4India @AUThackeray @unfoundation @UNHumanRights pic.twitter.com/OJ5qu28oY2

  — Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) June 20, 2023

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  PUBLIC DEMAND!@UN@antonioguterres@UNinIndia @PMOIndia @UNICEFIndia @BJP4India @AUThackeray @unfoundation @UNHumanRights pic.twitter.com/OJ5qu28oY2

  — Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) June 20, 2023

"Each of them is said to have taken Rs 50 crores to defect. The BJP used all their might to ensure that the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra led by Uddhav Thackeray fell. The 40 MLAs who stabbed us were led by a leading legislator Eknath Shinde (who is now the CM of Maharashtra). Along with them, 10 more Independents supporting the MVA government left us," added Raut in the letter, which is posted on Twitter.

Raut, who is a Rajya Sabha member, further said that the process of leaving the Shiv Sena began on June 20 when Eknath Shinde and others left Mumbai for a neighboring state of Gujarat. "They deserted Uddhav Thackeray who was an ailing man and underwent two major surgeries on November 12 and November 19, 2021. Each one of them took advantage of his illness. Hence, I am appealing to you to make June 20 as the 'World Traitors Day' just as June 21 is observed as World Yoga Day. This must be done so that the world remembers 'Traitors', added Raut.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was a part of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra, has also decided to observe June 20, as the "Traitors Day". Maharashtra NCP President Jayant Patil has asked the party workers to hold protests across the state against Shinde and the MLAs who supported him.

On June 30 2022, after much drama, Shinde was sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister, while BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Deputy Chief Minister.