Union Minister Narayan Rane’s “slap” threat to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his subsequent arrest have found him a place in the infamous ‘Hall of Fame’ of sitting cabinet ministers being held by the state police.
With his arrest, Rane has become the first sitting Union Cabinet minister to be arrested in the last 20 years by state police and the third sitting union minister to be arrested by state police ever.
The two other ministers were late Murasoli Maran and TR Baalu, who were picked up by Chennai Police in June 2001 along with former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in connection with a Rs 12 crore ‘flyover scam’. Maran, then Union Industry Minister, had sustained injuries in a scuffle with police during the arrest and was admitted to a hospital. TR Baalu had also sustained minor injuries.
Rane will move an application later on Wednesday in Bombay High Court for quashing of FIRs against him. Security too has been beefed up outside his residence as Shiv Sena and allies have planned more protests.
Rane returned to Mumbai last night after being granted bail. He will be in Sindhudurg on August 27. Condemning the “gross misuse of police force and suppression”, BJP state president Pravin Darekar said that the Union minister will continue with Jan Aashirwad Yatra from Friday. In one of the rallies of this outreach programme by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rane had made the controversial ‘would have slapped chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’ comment that took Maharashtra by storm on Tuesday and landed the Union minister in trouble.
Rane’s lawyer, Aniket Nikam, told CNN-News18 that they will study the current orders and take a decision. He hinted at further legal recourse with respect to other FIRs. Nikam called the arrested illegal and said the arrest was ‘vendetta. It was earlier said that Rane will remain present at Raigad police station for two days, but late in the evening, he left for Mumbai. Amid the controversy, the Union minister tweeted ‘Satyamev Jayate’ (truth shall win).
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