The 69-year-old Narayan Rane, the present Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of India was arrested in Ratnagiri city of Southwestern region of Maharashtra by Mumbi Police on 24th August 2021, Tuesday due to his comment against the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray. It all started on the 75th Independence day of India, when CM Thackeray was addressing the citizen on the auspicious occasion of Independence Day, however, in between his speech, he forgot the year of independence earning a remark from Rane.
In a public gathering at Raigad, Union Minister Rane stated, “It is disgraceful that the CM of Maharashtra does not the know the year of Independence. He tilted to inquire about the tally of years India got independence in the mid-way of his speech. If I had been there, I would have given him a firm slap on the face.” Following this comment of Rane, it irked a sense of anger from the side of the Shiv Sena who later registered a complaint against Rane over his comment on Monday.
Rane who joined the cabinet of PM Modi in July 2021, serving as a Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise was detained on Tuesday from Ratnagiri, thus becoming the first central minister to be arrested in 20 years. According to the sources, a total of three FIRs were filed against him in three cities under no bail crime, and for which Rane went to the Bombay High Court.
However, he could not win the last-minute releases from the court, as his plea to discard the three FIRs against him got rejected in court. The lawyer of the Rane explained in court, “The police have reached to arrest him, they are waiting at his doorstep.” On this statement, the High court replied, “Kindly follow the procedure and do not make us do the job of the registry.”
Prior to his arrest, Rane was seen justifying his comment and also advised the media to report his immediate arrest, declaring he was not a common man. “I have not done any wrong. You should check and show it on television or else I will file a case against you”, stated Rane, referring to media. Rane further added, “Despite not committing any crime, the media is presenting speculative news about my immediate arrest. Do you think I am an ordinary man?”
Before the suspension of Narayan Rane, Yuva Sena as well as Shiv Sena proceeded towards the house of Union Minister, which is situated in Juhu carrying roaring slogans and flags. Stones were also launched between BJP workers and Sena members. Ironically, Rane started his political career in Shiv Sena, however, after the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance was broken, he left the Sena in 2005 and joined hands with Congress. In 2017, he departed from Congress and established his own party along with his two sons Nitesh and Nilesh and later joined it with the BJP.
