Navneet Kaur Rana, an independent MP from Amaravati, claims that Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant harassed her in the Lok Sabha lobby, threatening her with jail for speaking out against the Maharashtra government. In a potentially more serious charge, she has also told Speaker Om Birla that she has received acid-attack threats through phone calls and Shiv Sena letterheads.
The Sindhudurg member, on the other hand, has denied the accusations and claimed that he would “stand with” the woman member if someone threatens her with bodily harm.
Ms. Rana said in a letter dated March 22, “Today, Shiv Sena parliamentarian Arvind Sawant’s threat to me is an insult not only to me but to all women in the country. As a result, I am pursuing the most serious police action against Arvind Sawant.”
According to her message, Mr. Sawant was enraged by her raising the question of the Maharashtra government’s affairs. He reportedly told her, “I’ll see how you get around in Maharashtra,” and “We’ll put you behind bars, too.”
“At that point (in the Lok Sabha lobby), I went blank and turned around; one of my colleagues was there, and I simply asked, ‘Did you hear?’ ‘Yes, I heard, Navneet,’ he said “The MP told NDTV about the incident that occurred inside the Lok Sabha. She told ANI that Rajamundhry MP Bharat Margani had witnessed the incident.
“I’ve previously complained to the police and Om Birla Ji about all the unwelcome letters I’ve sent in the name of the Shiv Sena. I received phone calls saying, ‘The lovely face that you are proud of, we will put acid on it so that you will be unable to go anywhere…if you mention Uddhav Thackeray Ji,’ “She said this while stating some of her charges against Mr. Thackeray’s government.
Mr. Sawant, on the other hand, dismissed her allegations as “outright lies” and accused her of being arrogant and rude while speaking in Parliament. Ms. Rana, he claims, is the one who is always bullying others.
“I have never threatened anyone in my life…Doing that to a woman is out of the question,” he asked in a video message responding to her allegation. “The House bars naming anyone from outside…but she does it and it goes on the record. Some people are skilled in twisting things and gaining publicity.”
He said she was enraged because Shiv Sena’s defeated 2019 Amaravati candidate Anandrao Adsu had filed a complaint against her over her caste certificate.
He said, in response to the suspected acid-attack attacks against her, “I despise someone who engages in such conduct (acid attack). I’ll be standing with Navneet Rana if someone else tries it.”
