Those charged with sedition should be stopped from going to Parliament: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that those with sedition charges should be stopped from going to Parliament.

His statement came after the Election Commission issued him a notice.

"We have got a notice from EC. Our stand is clear, those who have sedition charges against them should be stopped from going to Parliament at any cost," Raut told ANI.

A recent editorial of Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana has emphasised that it is BJP's responsibility to defeat its rival candidate Kanhaiya Kumar who is contesting from Begusarai constituency, even if it meant tampering of EVM.

In reference to the editorial, Mumbai District Election Officer Shivaji Jondhale has issued a notice to Raut and has been asked to give a clarification by April 3.

Raut said, "Hardik Patel has been stopped from contesting elections. But Kanhiya Kumar will contest. If the government has charged anyone with sedition, they must have done it after thinking."

"So our stand is very clear that irrespective of a person's identity, caste or religion, a person with sedition charge should not be allowed to be in Parliament," he added.

Former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union, Kanhaiya will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Begusarai constituency in Bihar as a CPI candidate.

"A person charged with sedition is contesting Lok Sabha election from Begusarai. He appealed for crowdfunding and got 5 lakhs rupees in 10 minutes, who are these people who are financing the anti-national? A person helping a terrorist is also a terrorist. BJP has fielded Giriraj Singh from there, it's BJP's responsibility to defeat Kanhaiya Kumar, even if an EVM scam is done in Begusarai," read the editorial of Saamana published on Sunday.