Rane visits Thackeray memorial; Sena purifies it with cow urine, milk

MUMBAI: Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises Narayan Rane, who started his week-long Jan Ashirwad Yatra from Mumbai, targeted chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray saying he has devoided Maharashtra of growth since the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government came to power.

Rane paid respects to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray at Smruti Sthal — a makeshift memorial where the Sena supremo was cremated— in Shivaji Park, Dadar.

Later, the Sena workers “purified” the memorial with gaumutra (cow urine) and milk.

The Sena is observing Rane’s tour of Mumbai, Palghar and Konkan region closely as he is the party’s bête noire after being removed from the party for questioning Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership in 2005.

Rane started his tour from Mumbai and is going through some of the strongholds and bastions of Shiv Sena, including the Mahim-Dadar area.

Ahead of next year’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, Rane also invoked “Marathi manoos” and said that they are tired of the Shiv Sena’s functioning in the civic body and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will snatch the reins of the civic body from the Sena.

Without naming chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Rane said that his party will “save” the state from “the ones who are out to destroy Maharashtra.”

Speaking at Teacher’s Colony in Kherwadi, which is very close to Kala Nagar in Bandra (East), where Thackeray’s residence Matoshree is situated, Rane said, “I am in Kherwadi, which is next to Kala Nagar, so some of the words I say here must fall on their ears. In the last two years, you have devoided Maharashtra of growth and led it towards destruction.”

“The citizens of Mumbai are tired of your work and way of functioning, and therefore, people will take away the reins of the corporation,” Rane added.

Rane later visited Shivaji Park in Dadar and paid his respects to Sena founder.

Speaking to reporters opposite Shivaji Park, Rane also invoked the memory of Bal Thackeray and said, “I paid respects to Balasaheb and I wished that he should have been alive today. Saheb has made me into whatever I am today. If he were alive today, he would have blessed me to gain more success. Even though his hand is not over me, his blessing is always there.”

The day-long political drama also saw a controversy. Hours after the Union minister and other BJP ministers left, Shiv Sainiks gathered there and “purified” the memorial by sprinkling cow urine (gaumutra) and milk. Sena workers, including Appasaheb Patil, wiped the photo of Sena supremo and carried out the rituals.

Sena Member of Parliament Vinayak Raut on Wednesday said that Rane does not have the “moral right” to visit Thackeray’s memorial and Shiv Sainiks (party workers) will not allow it, but the party leadership asked its cadre not to resort to any protest.

On Thursday Sena workers did not stop Rane from visiting the memorial.