Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut courted controversy after suggesting that India should learn a lesson from the student-led protests in Albania, which turned violent and targeted democratic institutions. Raut had claimed that people in Albania had set the country’s Supreme Court ablaze for allegedly helping “corrupt prime ministers”.Raut later clarified that he had faith in India’s SC. “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… The way the Modi govt is opposing those hoisting the Tricolour. If we cannot hoist the Tricolour in our own country, then what can we do?… This will lead to anarchy… SC must look into this,” Raut said.Earlier, in a post on X, Raut said, “The people of Albania have burned down the Supreme Court. The people were enraged because the Supreme Court was helping corrupt prime ministers. The protesting public has also attacked Parliament and government offices, as well as the ministers’ homes. All countries should learn a lesson from these events. Especially India.”In a post in Marathi on X on Monday, Raut also shared a 13-second video clip of a purported incident of arson in Albania, saying all countries should take a lesson from these events, “especially” India. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader referred to India with an emoji of its national flag, instead of naming the country in his post.Reacting sharply to Raut’s remark, BJP spokesperson Sidharth Yadav said, “The opposition leaders sometimes speak of bringing about a ‘regime change’ in India. At times, they suggest that Bangladesh has shown us the way.”“And now, Sanjay Raut’s remark that India should learn from Albania, where the Supreme Court was set on fire amid widespread anarchy on the streets,” he said in a video message, adding, “The opposition leaders in India seek to push the nation’s democracy toward anarchy; nothing could be more unfortunate than this.”Former Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, too, disagreed with Raut. Chaturvedi condemned the remarks, saying India does not need to learn from any other country. She also warned against people taking the law into their own hands and destabilising institutions. “India does not need to learn from any other country. Albania is a small nation that endured years under a communist dictatorship; the idea that people should take the law into their own hands, disrupt order, and destabilise institutions, whether it be the Supreme Court or Parliament, is entirely unacceptable,” said Chaturvedi.“Those who suggest that we should draw inspiration from the protests in Bangladesh to pursue a regime change: this is deeply regrettable, as those protests were not merely led by students; they were eventually co-opted by an Islamist movement, which led to attacks on minorities, including Hindu minorities. Such violent regime change has no place in any democracy, and we should not look to examples like Albania, Paris, or other such instances for guidance,” Chaturvedi added.
