Rane to resume yatra in Konkan today
Prohibitory orders issued, clashes expected; Sena says orders to curb Covid spread; Shiv SENA-BJP slugfest continues
MUMBAI: After his arrest for his “slap the CM” remark on Tuesday, Union Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) minister Narayan Rane is expected to resume his Jan Ashirwad Yatra on Friday in Ratnagiri and continue it in Sindhudurg for the next two days before its culmination. Meanwhile, the political slugfest between the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued on Thursday amid fresh police complaints and allegations. In response to Rane’s threat to pull skeletons out of cupboards, Sena mouthpiece Saamana said the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government should reinvestigate murders of four political activists in Konkan who happened to be Rane’s rivals.
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who chose to remain silent during the slugfest for last three days, taunted Narayan Rane while speaking in a conclave on Thursday. He said that a few viruses have emerged again and they need to be shown their place.
Back in Konkan, a new round of clashes is expected during Rane’s yatra in Sindhudurg. The BJP has alleged that the prohibitory orders issued by Sindhudurg collectors, banning assembly of more than five people for two weeks, was an attempt to stall the yatra. “We have been taking legal advice over the prohibitory orders issued by the Sindhudurg collector. Ranesaheb is coming to his home district after becoming a Union minister. Nobody can stop him from meeting people from his constituency. The yatra will begin in Ratnagiri on Friday and will culminate in Sindhudurg on Sunday,” said BJP leader and yatra in-charge Pramod Jathar.
Vinayak Raut, Shiv Sena MP from Ratnagiri-sindhudurg, said the Sena was not against the yatra. “The prohibitory orders are not to stop the yatra. They have been issued in the wake of the high number of Covid-19 cases and such orders were issued time to time in the past one-and-a-half years of the pandemic. The district administration will decide whether to give permission to the yatra,” he said. The BJP has made arrangements for a show of strength. After addressing a couple of meetings in Ratnagiri, Rane will reach Kharepatan, the entry point of Sindhudurg in the evening. Thousands of party workers and his supporters are expected to gather to welcome the minister. Rane was rushed to a private hospital in Mumbai on Thursday for a health check-up after his blood sugar shot up. Rane’s yatra, the outreach programme which kicked off in Mumbai on August 19, was halted after Rane was arrested from Ratnagiri on Tuesday over his remarks against the CM at a press conference in Mahad. The remark led to an uproar among Shiv Sena workers, resulting in multiple FIRS against Rane on Tuesday morning. He was given bail by a district court in Mahad at midnight on Tuesday. Rane rushed back to his Mumbai residence on Wednesday.
After the arrest, leaders from both the parties hit out at each other and complaints were filed against their leaders. BJP’S Nashik Central MLA Devyani Farande lodged a complaint with the local police stations against chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for his remarks against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in a public meeting in 2018. Thackeray had reportedly said that the UP CM needed to be beaten with chappals for garlanding a photo of king Shivaji while wearing chappals. Similar complaint has been filed against Thackeray in Yavatmal by a BJP worker.
Rane had on Wednesday warned to expose Shiv Sena leaders for their corruption and alleged involvement in criminal cases. He had referred to the death case of film industry personality Disha Salian and alleged involvement of a minister in the suicide. “The BJP will take it to its logical end and expose the minister who is involved in it,” he said.
Rane also warned the Sena with ‘befitting reply’ for violent protests by Sena workers outside his Juhu residence. In response, an editorial in Saamana said, “Some people claim that Rane was arrested while having lunch. This would not have happened if Rane would have cooperated with the police. This incident was no doubt bad. However, at the same time, the Thackeray Government should investigate who was responsible for killing (political activists) Sridhar Naik, Ramesh Gowekar, Satyavijay Bhise and Ankush Rane,” said an editorial in Saamana.
It said though Shiv SENA-BJP have had their differences in the past, it has not escalated to such levels. “Rane’s arrest, the unrest on the roads, fighting between the political workers as well as attack on the offices of the political parties have never been witnessed before in Maharashtra,” said the editorial.
BJP legislator Ram Kadam said the editorial reflected the frustration of the Shiv Sena.
The BJP has also announced to move court against Sena leader Anil Parab for his orders to police officers to arrest Narayan Rane. They also announced legal action against Sena leader Neelam Gorhe for her political statement despite holding a constitutional post of the deputy chairman of legislative council.