Bawankule photo row: Shows Sanjay Raut's distorted mentality, says Fadnavis

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 20 (ANI): In reaction to Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut's claim that Maharashtra MLC Chandrashekhar Bawankule was gambling at a casino in Macau, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that it just shows Raut's "distorted mentality".
"Sanjay Raut's distorted mentality is visible in it, how desperate he is," Fadnavis said speaking to reporters on Monday when Bawankule's purported photo where he was apparently seen gambling at a casino in Macao has blown into a political storm.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that Bawankule stayed at the hotel in Macao with his family and the restaurant and the casino were at the same place where he had dinner.
"Chandrashekhar Bawankule stayed in that hotel with his entire family. Where he had dinner, the restaurant and casino were at the same place," Fadnavis said adding that a distorted photo was deliberately tweeted.
"An incomplete photo has been deliberately tweeted. In the complete photo, Bawankule will be visible with his wife, daughter and entire family," he said.
Fadnavis said that such a "distorted" mentality should end and such a level of frustration is not right.
"This distorted mentality should end. So much frustration is not right. What can be a level lower than this where you make such allegations by posting morphed photos," he said.
Earlier, in response to Raut's claim that he was gambling at Macau, Bawankule shared a photo of the hotel complex where he stayed with his family saying that it has a restaurant and a casino on the ground floor.
"This is the area of the hotel where I stayed with my family in Macau. The hotel has a restaurant and casino on the ground floor! This is a photo someone took while I was sitting in a restaurant with my family after dinner," Bawankule said in a post on 'X'.
Reacting to this, Sanjay Raut went on to ask if a Chinese family is sitting beside them as seen in the picture shared by him and why is he seen sitting at a casino when he claims to be sitting at a restaurant.
Speaking to reporters after this clarification from Bawankule, Raut said that he was not sure who the person was but someone showed the photo to him about a "prominent personality" from Maharashtra sitting at a Veneshine casino in Macao.
"I don't know whose photo is that. Someone told me that he is a prominent personality from Maharashtra and is in Macau at a casino Veneshine," Raut said.
Raut said that when he got to know that the individual had spent Rs 3.5 crore in two to four hours, he thought that it seemed that "achhe din" (good days) had come to Maharashtra all of a sudden.
"Within a span of 2-4 hours, he spent Rs 3.5 crores at a casino. It means there is 'achhe din' in Maharashtra suddenly. BJP says that he is their member, we didn't say it," he said. (ANI)