Union minister Narayan Rane, who was arrested by Maharashtra police over his slap remark against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, was granted bail by Raigad magistrate on Tuesday late night. However, Rane will have to appear before the Mahad crime branch on 30 August and 13 September.
Before Rane’s arrest, Shiv Sena and BJP workers had clashed in several parts of the state and outside the residence of the Union minister. Rane said in his press conference: “I’m proud of my country that’s why I couldn’t bear whatever they said. CM Uddhav Thackeray had said ill about Yogi Adityanath as well that he should be beaten up by chappals, why no action was taken then? Shiv Sena shamelessly attacked Amit Shah as well. Anil Parab was ordering police officials to arrest me; there are many other issues including the Disha Salian case; people are in trouble, but they chose to focus on me.”
Thackeray had made a comment in 2018, a year before he took charge as Maharashtra Chief Minister, saying: “How can he (Yogi) be a Chief Minister? He is a yogi so he should give up everything and sit in a cave—he sits in the chief minister’s chair and calls himself a yogi. He has to understand the ties between UP and Maharashtra. A priest from UP, Gagabhatt, came for Shivaji’s coronation. And this Yogi came like a balloon filled with air. He wore chappals (slippers) while garlanding Shivaji. I felt like hitting him with the same chappal. Who are you to even stand before a statue of Maharaj?”
On Devendra Fadvanis, Rane said, “My words were correct as you can read the court orders. Whatever he has to say I respect that.” Narayan Rane hit out at Sanjay Raut, saying “He is not fit to be an editor, he keeps writing anything in Saamana just to please Uddhav Thackeray.” Rane said that he will reply to Sanjay Raut after 17 September and Uddhav Thackeray’s government is there for a few days.
Rane was arrested on Tuesday after the Shiv Sena filed multiple cases against him over his remarks on Thackeray at a “Jan Ashirwad Yatra”. He claimed the Maharashtra Chief Minister forgot the year of Independence during his 15 August address and had to check with his aide mid-speech.