MVA alliance members take to Pune’s streets to protest against Rane

PUNE: Workers of the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) staged a protest in Pune on Tuesday against remarks made by Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises, the BJP’s Narayan Rane

PUNE: Workers of the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) staged a protest in Pune on Tuesday against remarks made by Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises, the BJP’s Narayan Rane.

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The Shiv Sena agitation turned violent when workers pelted stones at a mall in Deccan Gymkhana. The mall is owned by the Rane family. The sainiks shouted slogans against Rane, who on Monday said “he would have slapped” Shiv Sena leader and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray “for his ignorance about the year in which India gained its independence”.

Sena workers warned that whenever Rane and his two sons arrive in Pune, the Sena would once again stage a protest. Party workers also agitated in front of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office on Jangli Maharaj road.

BJP workers then went to the Shiv Sena office located at Pulachi Wadi near Deccan and also staged a protest.

The BJP workers carried a cat along with them, implying that though the Shiv Sena’s political symbol is the tiger, the party’s attitude is best represented by a cat right now.

When the Ratnagiri police arrested Rane on Tuesday evening, the BJP’s city unit agitated at the Balgandharva chowk, calling the arrest illegal. BJP’s city unit president Jagdish Mulik led the agitation.

Members of the Maha Vikas Agadhi (MVA) also organised a protest at Mandai in front of the statue of Lokmanya Tilak.

NCP city president Prashant Jagtap, Congress city unit president Ramesh Bagwe and Sena leaders participated in the agitation.

Jagtap said, “Maharashtra’s political culture is different. Though Rane has become minister, he has used foul language against the chief minister. It is wrong that the BJP supports such language.”