Not afraid of Shiv Sena, says Rane; claims Maha CM used unpalatable words

A day after he was arrested for making controversial remarks against Uddhav Thackeray, Union minister Narayan Rane said on Wednesday even the Maharashtra chief minister had in the past used unpalatable words while referring to top BJP leaders Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath. Speaking to reporters after securing bail from a court at Mahad in Raigad district on late Tuesday night and further relief from the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, a defiant Rane asserted he is not afraid of the ruling Shiv Sena in the state.

A former Shiv Sena chief minister, the 69-year-old politician from the Konkan region is now with the BJP. I am not afraid of anyone and I am not backing out. My words (about "slapping" the CM) were an expression of anger against the chief minister (Thackeray) who forgot the year of India's Independence. I only told reporters what he had already said, so how can it be a crime? Rane said.

Rane made the controversial remarks on Monday after which Shiv Sena workers lodged police complaints against him in several districts. Acting on these complaints, police arrested Rane on Tuesday afternoon and produced him before the Mahad court where he was granted bail hours later.

Asked how he will criticise Maharashtra's Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance government, the BJP leader said, I will criticise using good words.

Rane said Thackeray had ordered his party workers to break the jaws of people attacking the Sena Bhavan (party headquarters in Mumbai).

Thackeray had also said that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath "should be beaten up with sandals", Rane claimed.

Uddhav Thackeray also called Union Home Minister Amit Shah shameless. He even said he was using unparliamentary words deliberately to describe Shah. What a civilised language? Rane said.

On some Shiv Sena leaders referring to his alleged crimes, Rane said, If I was a gangster according to the Sena, that party made me the chief minister. Was it OK with the party? And does it mean all Sena ministers in the current state cabinet are gangsters?" I will not sit quietly. We will use all parliamentary tools and legal powers and corner the MVA government in coming days, he said.

On some Shiv Sena MLAs issuing verbal threats, the Union minister quipped, I wonder whether they had ever killed a mouse. Asked about Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab's alleged role in his arrest, Rane said, I will lodge a complaint against him and take him to court. He can answer all the questions there.

Maharashtra BJP legislator and former minister Ashish Shelar on Wednesday demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged involvement of Parab in the arrest of Rane. The investigation against Parab in other cases is already going on. I am going to follow up the suspicious death of Disha Salian, a former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajpur (who had committed suicide in June 2020 after her death). "I believe a state minister is involved in it and I will follow it up and take (the matter) to its logical end, claimed the Union minister. Responding to a photo tweeted by Sena MP Sanjay Raut, where a tiger (Sena's symbol) is seen holding a hen (a veiled reference to him) in its jaws, Rane said, I have been advised to remain low profile till September 17. I will respond to Raut after that. He does not qualify to be an editor (Raut is executive editor of Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'). Commenting on his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra', the BJP's mass contact programme, he said, I will resume it from Friday and continue as per the earlier schedule. I am holding a dialogue with people through the yatra.