Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday, 18 September 2026, launched a sharp attack against the father of the late Disha Salian following reports that he planned to visit Matoshree to serve a defamation legal notice on party leader Aaditya Thackeray. Raut dismissed the move as politically orchestrated 'drama' and made sensational allegations of foreign financial links — specifically a 'Nepali connection' — funding what he described as a coordinated smear campaign against the Thackeray family.

Raut's Allegations and Remarks

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut urged all parties involved to end what he termed political theatrics. 'This drama must stop,' he declared. Referring even to the grieving family, he said, 'Whoever it is — even those who tragically lost their daughter — should stop this spectacle.'

Raut pointed to the legal status of the case as grounds to dismiss the campaign, noting that the matter was handed to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which registered an FIR against unknown persons, and that courts had observed no one stands accused at this stage. He alleged that 'a few drunks and attention-seekers' were receiving funds through a 'Nepali connection' to finance the campaign, adding that 'somewhere oil is being used, somewhere alcohol — all to fund our defamation.'

Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray's Responses

A day earlier, on Thursday, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray had addressed the allegations linking his family to the June 2020 death of Disha Salian, calling them a politically motivated 'character assassination' campaign. He stated that neither he nor his son had ever met or known Salian, acknowledged her death as a tragedy, and warned that he would take legal steps if the effort to link his family's name continued without evidence.

Sarcastically challenging the intent behind the allegations, Thackeray remarked, 'I am wondering why the names of Modi and Trump are absent in this case.' On the day prior, Aaditya Thackeray issued a detailed statement on X reiterating that he had never met Salian and describing the narrative as an evidence-free smear campaign driven by political motives and personal enmity.

Background: CBI Probe and Court Order

The renewed controversy follows the Bombay High Court ordering a probe into the circumstances surrounding Salian's death. The CBI subsequently registered a preliminary FIR. However, the investigating agency's FIR names unknown persons, and no individual has been formally accused in the case as of now. Salian, a former talent manager, died in June 2020, and the case has periodically re-emerged as a politically charged issue in Maharashtra.

Raut Takes Aim at Eknath Shinde Over Gujarati Address

Raut also turned his fire on Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, mocking him for reportedly delivering an address in Gujarati in Gujarat on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday. Raut quipped that Amit Shah speaks fluent Marathi and that Modi himself speaks better Marathi than Shinde does. 'If Shinde chooses to speak in Gujarati, it is simply to keep his party bosses in Gujarat pleased,' Raut remarked.

He argued that speaking Gujarati was not inherently wrong but that the Shinde faction behaves as if its party constitution was drafted in Gujarat. Raut invoked the legacy of leaders such as Vasantdada Patil, Sharad Pawar, Balasaheb Thackeray, and Yashwantrao Chavan, saying they always spoke Marathi with pride before central authorities — and that diminishing Marathi leadership disrespects the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

What to Watch

With the CBI probe underway and the Bombay High Court retaining oversight of the Disha Salian case, the political temperature in Maharashtra is unlikely to cool. Any formal legal action against Aaditya Thackeray and the Thackeray family's threatened counter-litigation could further escalate the dispute ahead of state political milestones.