Congress not a sinking ship, says Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday, June 13, 2026, said the Congress is not a sinking ship and reiterated that leaders who formed separate parties in the past after splitting from the larger party should reunite to make it stronger.

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He appealed to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar to take initiative in this direction and said that everyone should come together and fight against the “perverted” policies of the BJP.

Mr. Raut’s remarks came a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the Congress a sinking ship and said no intelligent person would ever board that ship.

Speaking to reporters in Pune, Mr. Raut said, “If we really want to fight against the deviant policies of the BJP, everyone should unite. The Congress party should be stronger. First, all the leaders who have left the Congress should come together. This can be possible if senior leader Sharad Pawar takes an initiative. We are a regional party and we will be with you.”

“Even today Prime Minister Narendra Modi is afraid of the Congress. The Congress has never been a sinking ship,” the Sena (UBT) spokesperson added.

Hitting out at the BJP, Mr. Raut said, “Show even 1% of the work that the BJP has actually done. They were neither part of the freedom struggle nor were they part of the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement. They were nowhere during these movements. These are cowardly people.”

When asked about reports of discontent among Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs during the ‘Operation Tiger’ talks, he said, “Operation Tiger has been carried out hundreds of times by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Smashing political parties and their leaders shows the perversion of democracy. This perversion has reached its peak under the current BJP leadership. But it too will end one day. There will be rebellion against such perversions both in the state and the country.” said the member.

‘Operation Tiger’ refers to a political strategy and a series of maneuvers allegedly orchestrated by the ruling Shiv Sena aimed at kidnapping leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).

Mr. Raut also accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of working like an agent of the BJP.