Sanjay Raut Sparks Row After Saying ‘People Burned Down Supreme Court In Albania’ - ‘All Countries, Especially India, Should Learn’

NEW DELHI / TIRANA:Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has sparked a political storm in India after he shared footage of violent protests in Albania and suggested India should learn a lesson from it.

 In a post on X on Monday, Raut wrote:

“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.”

What Actually Happened In Albania:

Albania has been witnessing student-led anti-government protests for the sixth consecutive day in capital Tirana, demanding the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama (in power since 2013, re-elected to a fourth term in 2025).

 Protesters are demanding better education, more jobs, an end to alleged corruption, and have also opposed a controversial coastal resort project linked to a company founded by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Reuters found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner.

 On Oct 17-18, protesters set fire to offices inside the Supreme Court building and the entrance of the Bank of Albania. The entire Supreme Court building was not destroyed, as some social media posts claimed. Fires also hit the Education Ministry and bank branches.

Police responded with *tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets*. According to Albania’s Ministry of Health, 272 people have been injured, including 169 police officers. 167 people have been arrested.

PM Rama has *refused to resign*, saying violence threatens Albania’s bid to join the European Union by 2030. He offered unconditional talks on Oct 19.

Political Row In India:

 Raut’s post quickly drew condemnation from both the ruling party and his own alliance.

Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Rajya Sabha MP, distanced herself from Raut:

“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.”- *BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari / Siddharth Yadav* accused the Opposition of openly harbouring desires for institutional collapse:

“Opposition leaders sometimes speak of ‘regime change’ in India, or that Bangladesh showed us the way. Now Sanjay Raut says India should learn from Albania, where the Supreme Court was set ablaze amidst widespread chaos.”

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam targeted Raut, saying he had apologized 16 times to the Supreme Court just two days ago and is now using scenes of European destruction to incite violence.

UP Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar* said: “The judiciary is paramount. If the public has acted against the court in this manner, we condemn it. As for learning a lesson, people should indeed learn from such incidents.

The European Commission condemned the violence in Tirana and called for grievances to be addressed through peaceful dialogue, while the US Embassy in Tirana urged restraint.