Indira Gandhi used to meet don Karim Lala, says Sanjay Raut; Congress hits back

At an event in Pune, Raut said, "There was a time when Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel, Sharad Shetty used to decide who would be Police Commissioner of Mumbai and who would sit in the 'Mantralaya'. Indira Gandhi used to go and meet Karim Lala. We've seen that underworld, now it's just 'chillar'."

Launching an attack on the Sena spokesperson, Congress leader Milind Deora tweeted, "Indira ji was a true patriot who never compromised on India’s national security. As former @INCMumbai President, I demand that @rautsanjay61 ji withdraws his ill-informed statement. Political leaders must show restraint before distorting the legacies of deceased Prime Ministers."

In a full-fledged attack on Raut, Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi tweeted, "#SanjayRaut linking Indira Gandhi with the underworld with a straight face is deplorable. How does he make such comments without doing saamna with the rich history of his own party?"

Earlier Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's reference to Indian Independence activist Veer Savarkar had led to a face-off between the Sena and Congress, which are disparate in their political ideologies.

Gandhi at a rally had said he won't apologise for his controversial "Rape In India" remark because his name is "Rahul Gandhi" and not "Rahul Savarkar".

Countering the statement, Raut had said no one should disrespect Savarkar.

After a prolonged political drama in Maharashtra following Sena's parting of ways with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Raut's outfit joined hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.