11 September,2026 06:32 PM IST | Nanded (Maharashtra) | mid-day online correspondent
Sanjay Raut said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should “expiate” for supporting the present Maharashtra government. File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has urged RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to visit Maharashtra's Marathwada region and assess the agrarian crisis facing farmers, reported the PTI.
Speaking to reporters in Maharashtra's Nanded on Thursday, Sanjay Raut said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had undertaken extensive social work and noted that Bhagwat frequently comments on issues ranging from religion to international affairs.
However, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) leader argued that the RSS chief should also turn his attention to the plight of farmers in Maharashtra.
"Mohan Bhagwat should come to Marathwada and see the agrarian crisis," Raut said, while extending birthday greetings to Bhagwat, who turned 76 on Friday, the news agency reported.
Raut also criticised the Maharashtra government over what he described as delays in road construction across the state. He attributed the situation to what he called "contractor raj", as per the PTI.
"Who exactly are these contractors? Are they relatives of leaders from the ruling parties or relatives of ministers? They (government) should first provide this information," he said.
Questioning the identity of those allegedly benefiting from Maharashtra government contracts, Raut asked whether contractors were related to leaders of the ruling parties or ministers, according to the PTI.
He said the government should first make such information public and provide clarity over the awarding of contracts.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader further stepped up his criticism of Bhagwat, saying the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should "expiate" for supporting the present Maharashtra government.
Raut alleged that the government had been "imposed" on the people of Maharashtra and the country, and called on Bhagwat to work towards its removal, as per the PTI.
He said Mohan Bhagwat should instead resolve to create conditions in which citizens could "breathe freely", intensifying the political attack on the ruling establishment.
"He should make efforts to remove this government, which has been imposed on the people of Maharashtra and the country and resolve to give citizens an opportunity to breathe freely," Sanjay Raut added, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
