"The Centre is practising double standards on this issue. To lure voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Varanasi and referred to Chhatrapati Shivaji and how he fought the Mughals. But not a single Union minister has uttered a word on the insult meted out to Chhatrapati Shivaji in a BJP-ruled state?" Raut told reporters.

Raut said that Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti has worked hard for the causes of Marathis in the Belgaum region.

"They have made sacrifices and shed blood for the cause of Marathi-speaking persons in the Maharashtra-Karnataka border region," Raut said.

He claimed that the Karnataka government has illegally arrested more than 200 activists of MES and cane-charged them.

"What are sensitive leaders of the BJP doing?" Raut asked.

"It is one thing to talk of banning MES, but I dare them to ban the MES," the Shiv Sena leader said.

(With inputs from agencies)