Govt pushed back Chinese investments, not China soldiers: Shiv Sena

The BJP rubbished the Rajya Sabha member's claim, published in his weekly column Rokhthok in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana. ''It is their single-point agenda to target the Modi government,'' Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said.

''We were unable to push back Chinese soldiers, but we pushed back Chinese investments,'' Raut's article said. ''Instead of shutting investments, we should have pushed back Chinese soldiers from Ladakh,'' the Sena MP said.

Upadhye said he was yet to come across an article by Raut where he does not cast aspersions on the Modi government. ''Anyway the public doesn't take such claims seriously,'' he added.

Raut also wrote that the relationship between states and the Centre is getting sour. ''If those in power at the Centre don't realise that they are doing disservice to the people by indulging in politicking, there would be a break-up of states the way USSR disintegrated,'' he said. ''The fact that states where the BJP is not in power are also part of the country is being forgotten,'' Raut said.

Claiming that the US government's coronavirus relief package provides Rs 85,000 per month for each citizen, Raut bemoaned that such a relief package was missing in India. ''The Centre doesn't have money, but has funds to win elections, topple governments and form new ones. The country's debt burden amount is more than the national revenue. If our prime minister can sleep peacefully in such a situation, he should be praised,'' the Rajya Sabha member said.

''People lost their lives due to the pandemic, but the Parliament lost its soul. Farmers are protesting against three agriculture laws, but the government ignored their sentiments and instead raised emotional issues like the Ram temple in Ayodhya,'' he said. The future of India's parliamentary democracy came under threat this year, he said. Prominent personalities have informed Modi that instead of building a new Parliament complex at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, that money should be spent on improving the healthcare facilities, he added.

''Funds are being collected from people for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. If a similar crowd-funding activity is carried out for the new Parliament complex, even Rs one lakh would not be collected as such buildings have become useless for people,'' he said.