Sanjay Raut vs Shinde Sena Over PM Modi’s Address
2 min readMumbaiApr 19, 2026 04:56 PM IST
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation over the setback to the women’s reservation quota, a sharp war of words broke out on Sunday between the Uddhav-led Sena (UBT) and the Shinde-led Sena, with both sides accusing each other of misleading the public.
At a press conference, Sanjay Raut said the rejection of the Bill to enable women’s quota in the Lok Sabha was a “major setback” for the government and accused the Prime Minister of deflecting responsibility by blaming the Opposition. He claimed Modi referred to the Congress “86 times” in his address despite advocating a Congress-free India.
“We opposed the Bill together because its intent is questionable. The structure shows political motives,” Raut said, alleging that expanding Lok Sabha seats beyond 543 was aimed at protecting ruling party leaders. He added that the 2023 women’s reservation law remains unimplemented and demanded that Modi apologise.
Raut also accused the Prime Minister of raising the issue during an election period, calling it a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, and described the address as an attempt to manage “a crisis within the BJP”.
The remarks drew a sharp response from the Shinde-led Sena. State minister Sanjay Shirsat said Modi had been seen as a “strong and blemish-free leader for over 15 years” and that Raut should “assess his own level” before criticising the prime minister.
“People are tired of such statements. They no longer take them seriously,” Shirsat said, adding that those dependent on alliances were attacking the PM.
He backed Modi’s criticism of the Congress and said the Bill could have strengthened democracy by expanding representation and giving women a larger role.
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He also accused the Uddhav-led Sena (UBT) of drifting towards the Congress and away from Bal Thackeray’s legacy.
Joining the attack, BJP leader Navnath Ban rejected Raut’s remarks describing Modi as suffering from a “national disease”. “Modi is not a disease but a pillar of the nation,” he said, citing his repeated electoral victories.
Bane also dismissed Raut’s claim that Modi and Devendra Fadnavis had failed, and accused the Opposition of opposing the women’s quota and fuelling divisions.
