Sanjay Raut Takes Swipe at Devendra Fadnavis Over Gen Z Youth Outreach
MUMBAI — Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut took a sharp swipe at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday, suggesting that Bharatiya Janata Party leaders should hang photographs of Cockroach Janta Party convenor Abhijit Dipke in their offices for making them aware of Gen Z concerns.
Raut made the remarks while criticising the BJP over its attacks on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's student outreach programme in Pune. The BJP had targeted Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event on Saturday, dubbing it “Paise Ki Goonj” and alleging that the party had paid social media influencers to mobilise crowds for the gathering.
"Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders should hang photos of Abhijeet Dipke. Because of him, they realised that there is a Gen Z," Raut said while addressing the media.
Raut's comments came on the same day Fadnavis attended the ‘Manthan 4 Yuva’ programme organised for Gen Z in Nagpur.
Questioning the BJP's stance on Gandhi's youth outreach, Raut drew a comparison with the state government's financial assistance scheme introduced ahead of the assembly elections.
"If Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event was a paid programme, then what was the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, which paid Rs 1,500 per month to women ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls?" Raut asked.
The BJP's claims against the Pune programme triggered a sharp pushback from the Opposition, which asserted that the ruling party had become apprehensive about the growing support for Gandhi among Gen Z and youth demographics across the state.
