Narayan Rane gets bail after arrest over ‘anti-Uddhav’ barb

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 24

A Raigad Magistrate late on Tuesday granted bail to arrested Union minister Narayan Rane in a case pertaining to his “slap slur” against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The development came around 8 hours after Rane’s dramatic arrest by the police from his camp in Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri, where he is travelling as part of the BJP’s Jan Ashirwad Yatra.

The Central minister was nabbed — a first ever for the state — after multiple cases were filed against him in various districts for his remark targeting Thackeray.

Earlier, Rane had defended his remark saying he had not committed any crime. “It is shameful that the CM does not know the year of Independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of Independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given (him) a tight slap,” Rane was quoted as saying.

BJP chief JP Nadda said, “The arrest of Union Minister Narayan Raneji by the Maharashtra Government is in violation of constitutional values. We will neither be scared nor suppressed by such actions. These people are troubled by the immense support the BJP is getting during the Jan Ashirwad Yatra. We will continue to fight democratically and the yatra will continue.”

Terming it as “absolute vendetta”, Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “We strongly condemn this gross misuse of police force and suppression. Sharjeel Usmani is free and Narayan Rane arrested! This is their Hindutva.”

Rane’s remark had evoked sharp reactions from Shiv Sena cadres. They put up posters in Mumbai and other places calling him a “kombdi chor” (chicken stealer), a reference to the poultry shop Rane ran in Mumbai’s Chembur area five decades ago. (with agency inputs)