‘Reason to induct Rane into the Cabinet is to attack the Uddhav Thackeray government; also, BJP is eying the BMC’.
Mumbai: Narayan Rane’s inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet has not gone down well with the Shiv Sena. Rane, known for his constant verbal duels with the Shiv Sena, was the first newly-inducted minister to take oath on Wednesday.
He has served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra as well as in various state ministries in the past 25 years. This is his maiden entry into the Union Cabinet.
Rane, 69, began his political career as a “shakha pramukh” (local ward chief) in the Sena and rose up the ranks to become the Chief Minister at the fag end of the Shiv Sena-BJP government’s term in 1999.
Not known to mince words, the Maratha leader, having pockets of influence in the coastal Konkan region, was picked by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray as Chief Minister when he decided to remove the genial Manohar Joshi ahead of the 1999 Assembly elections.
Thackeray, however, expelled Rane from the Sena in July 2005 for “anti-party activities” after he alleged that tickets and posts were for sale in the Shiv Sena.
Rane joined the Congress in August 2005 and quit it in September 2017. “I waited for 12 years. When I found that there was no scope for me in the Congress, I decided to quit from the primary membership of the party and membership of the legislative council,” he had said in his rant against the party over “injustice” done to him and his supporters. Rane then said he had joined the Congress because he was assured that he will be made chief minister in six months.
After quitting the Congress, Rane launched the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha in October 2017. In 2018, he declared support for BJP and was elected to the Rajya Sabha on that party’s nomination. In October 2019, he merged his party with the BJP
Asked about Rane’s inducted in the cabinet, Devendra Fadanvis said: “Rane has been picked on the basis of his ability and it has nothing to do with the Shiv Sena.”
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, however, said: “I don’t think Rane has been included in the ministry to slight Shiv Sena. It is the Prime Minister’s privilege who to include in his ministry and who to leave out.”
Meanwhile, a source said that the reason to induct Rane into the cabinet is to attack the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra as Rane has been known for his attacks on the Shiv Sena. During the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, Rane had attacked Aaditya Thackeray and raised questions about Rajput’s “suicide”.
He did the same when Arnab Goswami was arrested by the police; even in the Disha Salian suicide case, he has raised many questions attacking the government.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election is due in February 2022. Rane has a stronghold in the Konkan region. In Mumbai, 100 seats are such where Konkani voters decide the fate of candidates.
The BJP wants to capture the BMC as it is the richest civic body in Asia, with an annual budget of Rs 50,000 crore. The BMC is a backbone of the Shiv Sena. Now, the BJP is eyeing the BMC.