Mumbai: A post about Albania has landed Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut in a fresh controversy. Raut suggested India should learn a lesson from the student-led protests in Albania, which turned violent and targeted democratic institutions, and claimed people there had set the country's Supreme Court ablaze for allegedly helping "corrupt prime ministers".
In a post on X, he wrote: "The people of Albania have burned down the Supreme Court... All countries should learn a lesson from these events. Especially India." In a Marathi post on Monday, he shared a 13-second video clip of a purported arson incident in Albania, referring to India with the national flag emoji instead of naming it.
Raut later said he had faith in India's Supreme Court. "What have I said, anarchy will spread. If this govt remains in power, anarchy will inevitably spread. SC should take cognisance... We have faith in the SC, and SC alone that can save the nation," he said.
The row carries a backdrop. Last week, on October 16, the Supreme Court issued notice to Raut in a criminal contempt petition filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association over his remarks concerning Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. He later apologised.
The reaction was quick and came from his own side as well. Former UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned the remarks and warned against people taking the law into their own hands. "India does not need to learn from any other country... the idea that people should take law into their own hands... is entirely unacceptable," she said. In the Hindi press, she was reported as saying India's power changes had come about democratically, including after the Emergency.
BJP spokesperson Sidharth Yadav attacked the opposition over the remark. "The opposition leaders sometimes speak of bringing about a 'regime change' in India. At times, they suggest that Bangladesh has shown us the way," he said in a video message. "And now, Raut's remark that India should learn from Albania, where the Supreme Court was set on fire amid widespread anarchy on the streets." He added that opposition leaders seek to push the nation's democracy toward anarchy.
In Albania's capital, Tirana, protesters including school and university students have been demanding the resignation of socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.