Shiv Sena questions whether Atal Bihari Vajpayee died before August 16

Senior Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, in a shocking statement, expressed his doubt if former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee actually died on August 16 or the date was manipulated to ensure Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech at Red Fort on August 15, 2018.

Raut, the editor of the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', however, did not explain the reason behind such a cryptic question, which points at an ugly political conspiracy under the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Vajpayee, who according to official data breathed his last on August 16, was undergoing medical treatment at Delhi AIIMS and the hospital too gave his time of death at 05:05 pm on the same day.

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“Rather than our people, our rulers should first understand what is ‘swarajya’ (self-rule). Vajpayee died on August 16, but from 12-13 August, his condition was deteriorating. To avoid national mourning and lowering of flag to half-mast on Independence Day, and also (as) Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to make his elaborate speech from the Red Fort, Vajpayee left this world on August 16 (or his death was announced),” Raut said in a Marathi article, titled “What is Swarajya?”.

“Prime Minister Modi made several announcements for the poor (in his Independence day speech). The tone of his speech suggested that previous governments did nothing, so the freedom (until now) was a waste,” Raut said launching a series of fresh salvo at the ally BJP.

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Though Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has been in coalition with the BJP at the Centre as well as in Maharashtra, it has been taking swipes at the saffron party and PM Modi for a quite long time now.