RAUT LIKENED TO MYTHICAL BETAAL

Amid the impasse over government formation, a Marathi newspaper has compared Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut to "Betaal" -an Indian mythological character usually defined as an evil spirit or a ghost. The term is also used in Marathi to refer to a person indulging in loose talks. Without naming Sanjay Raut, "Tarun Bharat", a Nagpurbased daily publication, said the leader was hurting the chances of BJP-Sena alliance to come to power in Maharashtra. The pro-right wing daily also called him a "joker" and said "his attempts to portray a picture that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is isolated in the BJP is nothing but pure entertainment." The newspaper editorial titled ‘Uddhav and Betaal’ says: "Late Balasaheb Thackeray spent his entire life wresting power from the Congress and the NCP. But this Betaal istrying hard to shatter his dreams and there will be no bigger disappointment than to see the Sena listening to this loudmouth." It added that the Shiv Sena leader's first name -Sanjay -- was also the name of a character from Mahabharat who gave a live commentary of the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas to blind King Dritharashtra. "Sanjay's job is to provide valuable inputs. But when he himself is turning a blind eye, then there is need to worry about the Sena's future," the editorial said. The Shiv Sena must be aware of the fact that one who cuts a branch while sitting on it is not a wood-cutter but "Sheikh Chilli" (a comic character in Indian folktales), it said.