Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) stalwart Sanjay Raut, reflecting the dramatic ideological shift within his party, recently sought to mitigate the jihadi aspect of the Pahalgam terror attack, represented Kashmiri Muslims as the genuine victims and even accused the ruling party of trying to incite riots in India.

Moreover, he slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fostering an environment akin to the Emergency while endorsing the brutal Emergency, as a necessary evil, imposed by the Congress regime under late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. His shocking remarks were part of an interview with Shalini Kapoor Tiwari which was published on her official YouTube channel on 8th August.

Raut refused to accept that the tourists were murdered in Pahalgam solely because they were Hindus as the assassins verified their religious identity prior to executing them. He stated, “The majority of the victims were Hindus but one Muslim was also killed. It is important to understand. He must have also been questioned regarding his faith. Establishing this narrative in such situation is detrimental to the nation.”

Launching an indirect attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, he added, “The political parties wanted to replicate the events in India that followed Godhra which led to riots (because Hindus were burnt alive). They intended the same to happen across the entire country. They have a desire for Hindu-Muslim violence after Belgaum (or Belagavi). They want the nation to burn in unrest. The don’t want peace and harmony. Certain individuals possess this type of mindset.”

The anchor maintained that the Hindu men were specifically targeted due to their faith and referenced her interview with the family members of the victims along with testimonies of the eyewitnesses including those from Maharashtra. The Rajya Sabha MP agreed but asserted that this truth should not be emphasized.

When she pointed out that the Muslim person was only attacked because he tried to save the tourists and tried to show him the proof, he interrupted her and countered, “I cannot say for certain as we were not present at the scene. I am not interested in such claims. I do not want to see them. Furthermore, the tourists from Kashmir who travelled from various parts of the country were predominantly Hindus and the people of Kashmir provided them with protection. We should also remember this.”

“Had it been so, Kashmiris would not have helped the Hindu women and their families following the events in Pahalgam. The entire region of Kashmir was in lockdown. I have witnessed many Kashmiris with tears in their eyes,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader alleged and further tried to dilute the communal nature of the assault while painting Kashmiris as the victims.

According to him, the statements from Himanshi Narwal, who lost her naval officer husband Vinay Narwal in the incident, did not include any of such indication (that Hindus were particularly targetted). “Many might hold this belief while others do not. That is not the issue,” Raut declared as he dismissed the relentless attempts to present him with facts.

Moreover, rather than addressing the Islamists responsible for the deaths of 26 innocent Hindus, he decided to criticize the Modi government claiming that they had an ideal chance to attack the neighbouring nation and unfurl the tricolor there. “Why did you step back and did not end the conflict once and for all,” the parliamentarian asked and termed it a “blunder” of the centre while repeatedly trying to underplay the jihadi ideology that underpinned the massacre.

“Pakistan is founded on the basis of a religion unlike India. It presented a great opportunity to destroy the country using the same religious grounds,” he further mocked.

We stood with Congress during Emergency: Raut

In a bizarre instance of ironic contradiction, Raut supported the Emergency imposed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi while simultaneously complaining that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a similar situation in the country. He conveniently concealed the fact that the entire Opposition was thrown behind bars and defended, “She constitutionally imposed the Emergency through the Parliament and securing its approval.”

“However, the Emergency that has been enforced in this nation over the past decade is unlawful and constitutes a grave issue. Such a scenario is not seen anywhere else in the world. One can observe the situation abroad and understand how the Opposition’s voice is suppressed while the law and Constitution are trampled upon. The Emergency slapped by Indira was not like this,” he made the outrageous comparison.

“We stood with the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi because it was constitutional.”

– Sanjay Raut

These people dream of imposing the same “constitutionally right Emergency” if they come to power. pic.twitter.com/UuGUDfd14E

— Political Kida (@PoliticalKida) August 8, 2025

The politician acknowledged that even Shiv Sena’s official newspaper was shut down and many political leaders were arrested but claimed, “Yet, we supported the Emergency due to the anarchy in the country. There were attempts on Indira Gandhi’s life. This is why some people installed bomb factories. Dr Lalit Narayan Mishra, the Railway Minister was killed in Samastipur by a bomb. MPs were being assassinated. Citizens took to the streets with the intention of killing them and the Opposition incited them. We have witnessed this.”

When the journalist attempted to prompt him to recall the severe oppression of the media, politicians and others, Raut insisted that a similar situation is occurring currently and accused, “I was also imprisoned because I spoke out against the current government.”

She highlighted the hypocrisy of his statements but he challenged the government to implement an official Emergency in the country. “There is a provision for this in the law, and if you believe that the internal and external secutiy of India is under threat, then do it. Who can stop you,” the MP stated.

“I urge you to come to the Parliament and elucidate the reasons for your decision. You even lack the courage to hold a special session concerning “Operation Sindoor” or the Palagam incident. How, then, can you have the nerve to speak about the Emergency? Democracy revolves around debate. Have a discussion with us on this (implementing Emergency),” he further dared.