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Unrest after a dramatic arrest

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It isn’t often that a Union Cabinet minister is arrested, but the episode involving Narayan Rane is unusual for other reasons as well. To begin with, the trigger for the dramatic arrest was – at least in the context of the indecorous politics that prevails – relatively minor. In a speech, Rane upbraided Uddhav Thackeray for his alleged ignorance about India’s independen­ce, saying he would have slapped the Maharashtr­a Chief Minister if he were present. It was rash and irresponsi­ble, something that is unbecoming of someone in a ministeria­l position. But it was probably not entirely surprising given that Rane is a politician who has built a reputation for his so-called ‘boldness’, which is a thinly disguised euphemism for intemperan­ce. Having said this, the Maharashtr­a government grossly misused its power and breached the limits of propriety by ordering Rane’s arrest, which was preceded by several angry protests and a clutch of cases filed against the minister. For a man who projects himself as the leader of the Shiv Sena 2.0, a more sober responsibl­e version of its earlier avatar, Uddhav Thackeray should have refrained from what is perceived as a lowly attempt to settle old political scores. The right thing would have been to respond politicall­y to Rane’s low sneer. It is no secret that the two have a bitter history. Rane was number two to Bal Thackeray and quit the Sena (he went to the Congress first) when it became apparent that power would remain in the hands of the family. Rane’s entry and his recent elevation in the BJP is a part of a game plan. As someone who was Chief Minister of Maharashtr­a when the Sena was in power, Rane knows both the working of the State and his former party intimately. Local elections, including the one to the cash-rich Brihanmumb­ai Municipal Corporatio­n, are due shortly. The BJP also wants to recover Maharashtr­a at any cost and is still smarting about being left high and dry by its electoral ally, after the last Assembly poll. But personal enmities and political ambitions may, at best, only serve to explain the theatrical drama in Maharashtr­a that culminated in Rane’s arrest. They do not justify it. As for Rane, he has since attempted to interpret his arrest as a sign of Uddhav Thackeray’s nervousnes­s about his political influence. “I have proven myself to be more than a match for anyone,” he boasted during a press conference. On its part, the Shiv Sena top brass probably believes that the arrest signals – to its delighted cadre as well as the larger community – who calls the shots in Maharashtr­a. It will hope that the ritual humiliatio­n of the arrest, will puncture Rane’s image as a strongman who is capable of mounting an effective challenge. It is something of a shame that this politics of expediency has eclipsed the politics of civility in such a manner.

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