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  • ‘Haven’t committed any crime’: Rane on ‘tight slap’ remarks about Uddhav as security beefed outside Union Minister’s residence

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Union minister Narayan Rane on Tuesday defended his remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying he hasn’t committed any crime by making them.

    On speculation that he will be arrested in this case, Rane said he was not a ‘normal’ man and cautioned the media against such reportage.

    “I haven’t committed any crime. You should verify and show it on TV or else I will file a case against you (media). Despite not committing any crime, the media is showing speculative news about my ‘imminent’ arrest. Do you think I am a normal (ordinary) man?” Rane told reporters at Chiplun in the coastal Konkan region.

    Asked about cases filed by Shiv Sena workers against him over his remarks, Rane shot back, “Shiv Sena who?” Rane has sparked off a row over his remarks about slapping Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter’s ignorance of the year of India’s independence.

    “It is shameful that the chief minister 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 told reporters during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra in Raigad district on Monday.

    The BJP leader and former Shiv Sena chief minister claimed Thackeray forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address to the people of the state.

    Thackeray had to check the year of independence with his aides midway during the speech that day, Rane said.

    Meanwhile, BJP workers gathered outside Rane’s residence on Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz (West) in the morning in support of their party leader.

    Besides, Shiv Sena workers, including women, carrying placards and shouting slogans against Rane, assembled outside an office of the Yuva Sena (the party’s youth wing), located nearby in Juhu.

    A posse of police personnel, including women cops, were deployed outside Rane’s residence to prevent any untoward incident, the official said.

    Nashik Police Commissioner Deepak Pandey on Tuesday issued orders for the immediate arrest of the Union minister after an FIR was registered against him in the north Maharashtra city.

    Accordingly, a team of Nashik Police left in the morning for Ratnagiri district, where Rane is currently carrying out his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’, an official said.

    ALSO READ | Multiple FIRs filed against Narayan Rane for his ‘tight slap’ remark about Uddhav, BJP defends Union Minister

    Following his remarks, a complaint was lodged against Rane by Nashik city Shiv Sena unit chief at the Cyber police station there.

    Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered against Rane in Nashik under IPC sections 500 (defamation), 505(2) (mischief), 153-B (1)(c) (remarks likely to cause disharmony, or feeling of enmity or hatred or ill-will), a police official said.

    Considering the law and order situation across the state and in Nashik in the wake of Rane’s remarks, Police Commissioner Deepak Pandey ordered an investigation into the matter and immediate arrest of the Union minister.

    Accordingly, a team, led by Nashik DCP (crime) Sanjay Barkund and comprising police inspector Ananda Wagh and other officers, was formed and it rushed to Chiplun in Ratnagiri to arrest Rane, the official said.

    The team was asked to arrest Rane and produce him before a court in Nashik, the official said, adding the team was also directed to follow the due procedure for arresting the Union minister.

    “We are going by the facts of the case after the registration of an offence against Rane. We are following the rule of law,” Pandey said, adding the arrest was needed to prevent the repetition of such an offence.

    The Union minister will be arrested in the case and produced before a court, and further action will be taken according to orders of the court, the police commissioner said.

    After Rane’s arrest, Vice President (Venkaiah Naidu) will be informed as the Union minister is a member of the Rajya Sabha, the official said.

    “While arresting Rane, police will follow all protocols with regard to a Union minister,” he said adding all his privileges as Union minister will be considered.

    Whatever he wants to say, he can put forth before the court, the senior police official said.

    Meanwhile, in Aurangabad , Shiv Sena’s spokesperson Ambadas Danve lodged a complaint against Rane at Kranti Chowk police station over the latter’s remarks against the CM and party workers hit a photo of the Union minister with footwear.

    Talking to reporters after lodging the police complaint, Danve said Rane’s remarks were “objectionable”, and demanded action against the BJP leader.

    The MLC called Rane a ‘kombdi chor’ (chicken stealer) — a reference to the poultry shop he ran in Chembur five decades ago during his initial stint with the Sena — a released a couple of hens at the Kranti Chowk square.

    The women’s wing of the Shiv Sena will also undertake an agitation in Aurangabad, Danve said.

    “Earlier, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray used to call Narayan Rane as ‘Naru’, which is the name of a disease in Marathi. The Shiv Sena has a remedy for this disease,” he said.

    He claimed Rane made the statement to provoke the Shiv Sena.

    The Shiv Sena will protest against Rane’s statement through the constitutional process as well as by taking to the streets, the MLC said.

    An official at the Kranti Chowk police station in Aurangabad said they have received the Shiv Sena’s complaint and action will be taken as per the instructions of senior officials.

  • Multiple FIRs filed against Narayan Rane for his ‘tight slap’ remark about Uddhav, BJP defends Union Minister

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: A day after Narayan Rane sparked off a row over his remarks about “giving a tight slap to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray”, multiple FIRs have have been lodged in Pune, Nashik, Mahad, and other places against the Union minister. 

    Nashik Police have sent a team to Chipun, where Rane is expected to attend a Janashirwad Yatra on Tuesday. They are likely to arrest him.

    The remarks made by the Union minister has also drawn sharp criticism from Shiv Sena. The party workers have erected posters of Union minister depicting a hen and calling him a hen thief.

    “It is shameful that the chief minister 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 said during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra in adjoining Raigad district on Monday.

    However, the BJP leaders defended Narayan Rane saying his language is like late Balasaheb Thackeray so people should understand it. BJP leader Ram Kadam said that there can be a debate over Narayan Rane’s langauge, but the state police cannot arrest him.

    “Narayan Rane is a Union cabinet minister therefore the police cannot violate the protocol and arrest him. They can give reply in same language. If he is arrested, then we will protest against it,” Kadam said.

    Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra BJP president said that he cannot defend the statement made by the Union minister but the state govt police cannot arrest him. He said this is the language and style of Rane.

    “They can give notice or warn that the ministers should not speak like this. But there should not be an arrest,” Patil said adding during Dussera rally, Uddhav Thackeray also made many controversial statements so can we arrest them?

    Patil wondered how a state could plan to arrest a Union minister.

    “Is there no administrative procedure?” he asked.

    “People who are pointing fingers at Rane should not forget that there have been several instances of Uddhav Thackeray using inflammatory language,” the BJP leader said.

    On Monday, during his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ in adjoining Raigad district, Rane said, “It is shameful that the chief minister 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.”

    The BJP leader and former Shiv Sena chief minister claimed Thackeray forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address to the people of the state.

    Thackeray had to check the year of independence with his aides midway during the speech that day, Rane said Mumbai BJP MLA Ram Kadam defended the Union minister and said, “Rane is know for his aggressiveness. There could be a difference of opinion over his choice of words.”

    He alleged that from the day of commencement of the Jan Ashirwad Yatra, the Thackeray-led Maharashtra government was trying to misuse power and hinder Rane’s rally.

    “This is cheating by the state government. The state government is scared because of the massive response garnered by his rally,” the legislator told a news channel.

    He also claimed that Thackeray as CM had earlier made controversial statements and also used inflammatory language.

    “However, it was conveniently ignored by people as well as the state machinery,” Kadam said.

    BJP leader Pramod Jathar, who is co-ordinating Rane’s yatra in Ratnagiri district, said, “Rane’s language is similar to that of late Balasaheb Thackeray (the founder of Shiv Sena). The Jan Ashirwad Yatra will continue for sure.”

    Asked about Rane’s remarks, he said, “CM Thackeray forgetting the year of independence is more insulting. Rane only expressed feelings of the common man.”

    However, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik claimed the BJP was trying disturb the harmony in Maharashtra, and said “there will be repercussions” if a person makes controversial remarks.

    “The state will not accept this kind of language. Rane has not only insulted CM Thackeray, but also the people of this state. If a person makes controversial remarks, there will be repercussions,” said Malik, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra.

    He also claimed that the BJP was trying to do politics, “like it did in West Bengal by inciting violence”.

    “The BJP must understand that Maharashtra will not get into it,” he added.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Trinamool advertised ‘Sabuj Sathi’ scheme in Bengal civil service exam: BJP

    The ruling party denied the charge and said that the question was meant to test the knowledge of the candidates about a universally acclaimed project.

  • ‘Would have slapped Uddhav’: Narayan Rane’s remarks draw Shiv Sena’s ire

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Union minister Narayan Rane has sparked off a row over his remarks about slapping Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter’s ignorance of the year of India’s independence.

    “It is shameful that the chief minister 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 said during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra in adjoining Raigad district on Monday.

    The BJP leader and former Shiv Sena chief minister claimed Thackeray forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address to the people of the state.

    Thackeray had to check the year of independence with his aides midway during the speech that day, Rane said.

    Rane’s remarks drew sharp reactions from Shiv Sena, whose workers put several posters in Mumbai and other places, calling him a ‘kombdi chor’ (chicken stealer), a reference to the poultry shop he ran in Chembur five decades ago, during his initial stint with the Bal Thackeray-led party.

    Shiv Sena’s Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg MP Vinayak Raut said Rane has lost his mental balance.

    “To impress BJP leadership, Rane has been attacking Shiv Sena and its leaders. He lost his mental balance after his induction into the Modi-led ministry. Modi should show him the door,” Raut said.

  • BJP not averse to conducting caste census in Bihar, says Sushil Kumar Modi

    Express News Service

    PATNA: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) appears to have decided to give second thought to conducting of caste enumeration through national census amid mounting  pressure from various parties

    Bihar BJP senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday made it clear that the BJP is not averse to the caste Census. Sushil Modi’s comments come a day before a 11-member all-party delegation from Bihar led by CM Nitish Kumar, is supposed to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 23.

    Taking to Twitter, Sushil Kumar Modi said that the BJP has never been against caste census and that is why it was part of the resolution passed in the Legislative assembly and Legislative Council earlier.

    Sushil Kumar Modi was the deputy chief minister in the previous NDA government and has been involved in the decision-making exercises of party’s policies with the central leadership of party. He is also one of the most learned and experienced leaders of the party.

    “The state BJP is also part of the Bihar delegation scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Be it known that BJP leader Gopinath Munde had presented the party’s side in the Parliament in support of the Caste Census in 2011”, Modi said. He also made it almost clear that the BJP is in support of the caste census in principle.

    Modi said, “There are many technical and practical difficulties in conducting caste Census, yet the BJP is in support of it in principle”.

    Sharing details on the issue, Modi further said that the last census on caste was conducted in 1931 under the British rule when Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha were not separated.

    “The Census of only 22 castes was conducted for a population of about 1 crore of Bihar at that time. Now, much water has flown into the Ganga after 90 years, there has been a difference in the economic, social, geographical and political conditions”, Modi stated through a tweet.

    Local political experts opined that the BJP is left with no other option but to take a pro stand over the Caste census in view of the forthcoming assembly elections in UP and other states. 

     

  • Am loyal to Shiv Sena; Narayan Rane’s offer to join BJP aimed at creating confusion: Eknath Shinde

    By PTI

    THANE: A day after Union minister Narayan Rane said Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde is “fed up” with the Shiv Sena and is welcome in the BJP if he wants to switch sides, the latter hit back on Sunday saying the statement was made to create confusion within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

    Shinde also said contrary to the “baseless” claims made by Rane, he was very much happy in the Sena, headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. “Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde is fed up with the Shiv Sena as he has to ask the ‘Matoshree’ (residence of chief minister and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray) before signing any file. If he approaches me, I will surely induct him into the BJP. Shinde is bored there and has no work. He is in trouble there,” Rane, a former Shiv Sena leader himself, told reporters during his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ in Vasai near Mumbai on Saturday.

    Dismissing Rane’s statement, Shinde told reporters that he didn’t understand its basis. “I am very happy in the Shiv Sena and the work of my ministry (Urban Development) is going on smoothly. I make decisions for my ministry,” Shinde said.

    “Rane’s statement that I am feeling suffocated in the Sena and would soon leave the party is aimed at creating confusion. Rane has been making such statement since the formation of the MVA government. He intends to create confusion in minds of others (MVA partners). I am loyal to the Sena and Uddhav Thackeray,” Shinde said.

    He gave examples of the Unified Development Control Regulations (DCR) and the ongoing construction of the Samruddhi Mahamarg connecting Mumbai with Nagpur to assert that he was free to take decisions. “Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is involved when it comes to taking any policy decision and we make decisions together,” he said, adding Rane, who had served as chief minister of Maharashtra, knows this decision-making process very well.

    Shinde said Rane in his capacity as Union MSME Minister is free to take decisions but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is involved whenever a policy decision has to be taken. Shinde, the MLA from Kopri Pacahpakhadi in Thane, also said the MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, is functioning smoothly.

    “The MVA government worked relentlessly during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t allow the pandemic to affect development works,” he added.

  • PM Narendra Modi joined by many senior leaders to pay respect to former Uttar Pradesh CM Kalyan Singh

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Kalyan Singh ji spent his life to live up to his name, said  Prime Minister Narendra Modi who arrived in Lucknow on Sunday morning to pay respects and his last tributes to BJP stalwart, former Uttar Pradesh CM and ex-Governor of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, Kalyan Singh who passed away after a prolonged illness in the state capital on Saturday night.

    “This a moment of great grief for all of us. Kalyan Singh ji was named Kalyan by his parents and he spent his life living up to his name. All his life he worked towards Jan Kalyan. He lived for Jan Kalyan and made it his mantra. He dedicated everything to the BJP, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh and towards a bright future of the country,” said the PM while speaking to media persons after paying tributes to the departed soul at the latter’s residence in Mall Avenue in Lucknow.

    The PM, accompanied by BJP president JP Nadda, reached the state capital at 10.35 am and went straight to Singh’s residence, where his body had been brought from the hospital.

    The PM added that Singh’s name had become synonymous with ‘trust’. He was a committed decision maker and had emerged as an inspiration to others in whatever role he was given, either of an MLA or in the government and also as a governor, the PM said.

    PM Modi said that the nation had lost an able leader and only way to immortalise him and the genuine tribute to the departed leader was to work with his ideals and fulfil his dreams. “I pray to Lord Ram to give strength to his relatives and bereaved family to bear this loss,” said PM Modi.

    Prominent among those who throng state capital on Sunday morning to pay respect to Kalyan Singh included RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosable, BSP chief Mayawati, Defence minister Rajnath Singh and several senior BJP leaders. 

    Singh’s body was taken to Vidhan Bhawan in the early afternoon from where it was shifted to the party headquarters for janata darshan. Later in the evening, the mortal remains of the departed soul were flown to Aligarh in an air ambulance for his final rights which are to be held along River Ganga on Monday. 

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is likely to attend the cremation of the BJP stalwart on Monday. The state government has declared a three-day state mourning while August 23, the day of the funeral, has been declared a public holiday.

  • He was symbol of ‘trust’: PM Modi pays tributes to ex-Uttar Pradesh CM Kalyan Singh in Lucknow

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes here to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, calling the BJP veteran a capable leader who became a “symbol of trust” for the common people.

    The prime minister said that Singh made public welfare the main aim of his life. Singh died at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow on Saturday night. He was 89.

    “The country has lost a valuable personality and a capable leader. To fulfill the void left by him, we should do maximum hard work for his ideals, his promises and leave no effort in achieving his dreams,” Modi told reporters after paying his last respects to the BJP leader.

    He said that Singh lived true to his name given to him by his parents. “He lived his entire life for public welfare. He made ‘jan kalyan’ as the mantra of his life, and dedicated his life for the BJP, Bharatiya Jana Sangh family, for an ideology and for the bright future of the country,” Modi said.

    He hailed Singh as a committed decision maker who symbolised “trust” across the country. “For the most part of his life, he made efforts for public welfare. Whatever responsibility he had got, be it as an MLA, any post in the government, or as a governor, he had been a centre of inspiration for everyone. He became a symbol of trust for the public,” Modi added.

    “I pray to Bhagvan Prabhu Shriram to give Kalyan Singh ji a space at his feet. May Prabhu Ram give strength to his family in the hour of sadness to bear the loss. May Prabhu Ram give consolation to people in the country who believe in his values, ideals, culture and traditions,” the prime minister said.

    Kalyan Singh Ji…a leader who always worked for Jan Kalyan and will always be admired across India. pic.twitter.com/nqVIwilT7r
    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2021
    Modi, after reaching the residence of Singh here, paid tributes to him and placed a wreath at his body. He was accompanied by BJP chief JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, CM Yogi Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also paid tributes to the former UP chief minister.

    Speaking to reporters, Rajnath Singh said, “We used to tell him (Kalyan) that we are ‘bhootpoorv’ (former) chief minister, you are ‘abhootpoorv’ (unprecedented) chief minister, on which he used to laugh. I have seen him as an elder brother.”

    BSP chief Mayawati also paid homage to the departed leader. Singh’s body was taken to Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhavan from his residence in the afternoon. From there, it was taken to the office of the state BJP, party leaders said.

    On Sunday evening, the body is scheduled to be taken to Aligarh, where it will be kept in a stadium. On Monday morning, it will be taken to Atrauli — his “karmabhoomi” and “janmabhoomi”, Adityanath had said on Saturday.

    The last rites will be performed with full state honours in Narora town, around 60 kilometres from Aligarh, on Monday afternoon, he had said. Uttar Pradesh has announced three-day mourning and a holiday on Monday.

    Singh, who also served as the Rajasthan governor, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the SGPGI in a critical condition on July 4. He died due to sepsis and multi-organ failure, the hospital said. Singh was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister when the Babri mosque was demolished by a mob of “karsevaks” in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

    Along with BJP veterans LK Advani and MM Joshi, he was among the 32 people acquitted in the demolition case in September last year. A Lodhi leader, he was instrumental in the rise of the BJP to power in Uttar Pradesh in the 1990s.

    He is survived by his wife Ramvati Devi, son Rajveer Singh, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Etah, and grandson Sandeep Singh, who is the minister of state for finance, technical education and medical education in Uttar Pradesh.

    Rajveer Singh said his father was born for “Jai Shri Ram”, a slogan that reverberated outside the veteran BJP leader’s home on Sunday as people gathered there to pay their last respects.

    Apna Dal (Sonelal) leader and Lok Sabha MP from Mirzapur Anupriya Patel said the death of Singh marks the end of an era in politics and he was like a father to her. She was at the BJP office to pay tributes to the leader.

    Speaker UP Legislative Assembly Hriday Narayan Dixit said the death of Singh is a loss to nationalist politics. “Under his leadership, nationalism reached outside UP to different parts of India. He was a big face of nationalism, and our mentor and guide,” he said.

    Dixit said Singh took the Ram Temple movement towards a “conclusion” and “prepared an army which worked to awaken nationalism”. He took strict measures against unfair practices during examinations in the state, the speaker said.

  • BJP won’t be allowed to hijack the word ‘Hindu’: Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has said he would not let the BJP hijack the word “Hindu”.

    “The BJP has emptied Hinduism of its vital elements and reduced it to Hindutva. We are Hindus in our values. We believe in Sanatan Dharma. We won’t let it hijack the word Hindu,” Rawat told reporters here on Saturday.

    “Being Hindus, we believe in Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam (entire earth is one family), Sarva Dharma Sambhav (equality of religions) but the BJP believes in Sarva Dharma Jhagda Bhav (quarrelling with all religions) ” the AICC general secretary and the party’s campaign committee head for Uttarakhand said.

    Rawat announced that the party will launch a Parivartan Yatra next month to acquaint people of the state with the “failures” of the BJP governments both in the state and the Centre.

    The Parivartan Yatra is aimed at convincing people why a change of government is necessary in the state to strengthen it economically and keep “Uttarakhandiyat” — the all-encompassing nature of its cultural identity alive, he said.

    Accusing the state government of undoing all reforms introduced in education and health sectors during his tenure, Rawat said all of them will be revived if Congress is voted back to power. “We will keep the flag of Uttarakhandiyat flying high and create a welfare state which takes care of the common people, the poor and the deprived sections of society,” Rawat said.

  • Very elated because my services have been recognised: Newly-appointed Manipur Governor La Ganesan

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and newly appointed Manipur Governor La Ganesan on Sunday expressed happiness over recognition of his services by the party. “I feel very elated because my services have been recognised. I am prepared to work in any place in India. BJP has given me an opportunity to work in Madhya Pradesh before and now in the northeast,” he stated.

    “Emotionally, I feel that entire Bharat is one. Now by experience, I will feel that the entire Bharat is one,” he added.

    On being asked about the current issues in Manipur, Ganesan said that he has not taken the charge as the Governor yet and will only understand the core issues of the state once he takes the charge. “I am not alone. There is a whole party with me. Together we will be successful in our duties,” he added.

    He further stated that coincidentally he has replaced Najma Heptulla twice- once when he became a member of Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh and now when he became the governor of Manipur.

    Earlier in the day, Ganesan was appointed as the new governor of Manipur by President Ram Nath Kovind. He became the 17th governor of the state as he replaced the incumbent governor Najma Heptulla.