Will continue Jan Ashirwad Yatra, played key role in Sena's rise: Narayan Rane

The Union minister said he was not arrested, but he had accompanied police to the court in his own car at their request.

Union minister Narayan Rane said on Wednesday the Jan Ashirwad Yatra that he had been organising with his colleagues from the Centre will resume on Friday in Sindhudurg. Rane was arrested on Tuesday for making controversial statements against the Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray only to be granted bail late in the night.

Narayan Rane interacts with the media during an event in Chiplun, hours before his arrest on Tuesday. (Anil Phalke/HT) (HT_PRINT)

“My party has stood by me firmly during this entire episode of my arrest. I have played a key role in the Shiv Sena's rise. The people who got me arrested were nowhere on the scene at the time,” said Rane, a former chief minister of the Sena-BJP alliance government. He also said he was not arrested, but he had accompanied police to the court in his own car at their request.

Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court it would not take any coercive action against the Rajya Sabha MP in the FIR lodged in Nashik over his controversial remarks. Multiple FIRs have been registered against the BJP leader across the state.

A division bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar was hearing a petition filed by Rane, seeking to quash the FIR registered in Nashik and all other cases that may be lodged in future. Rane has sought interim protection from arrest. On Tuesday, the court said that while the arrest was “justified”, his custodial interrogation was not necessary.

The newly inducted Union minister sparked a furore in the state after he allegedly said on Monday that he would have “tightly slapped” Thackeray for being ignorant of the year of India’s independence. The statement led to several clashes across Maharashtra, followed by heated exchange of words between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Whatever I said about the chief minister was out of the respect I have for my country. I cannot tolerate disrespect to the country,” said Rane, a former Sena leader before switching loyalty to the Congress and then moving on to the BJP.

On Tuesday too, Rane had defended his statement stating that he had not committed any offence. Regarding Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis' comment that the BJP dis not support Rane's statement, but the "party stood by him 100 per cent", Rane said, "I have not said anything wrong. However, if Fadvanis says it is wrong, then I will accept it as he is our 'margdarshak' (guide)."

He asked why no action was taken against Thackeray after he asked his workers to attack BJP leaders. “Why no action was initiated when he called Union home minister Amit Shah shameless?” he said, adding the BJP would not allow Maharashtra to witness violence that had engulfed West Bengal after the Assembly election held earlier this year.

He further said the verdict in all cases (lodged by the Shiv Sena) filed against him has been in his favour. "This is an indication that the country is run by laws," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

He also raked up the death of celebrity manager Disha Salian and promised to ensure justice in the case. “I will ensure that the Disha Salian case reaches a logical conclusion. I won't stop till the guilty are punished," Rane added.

(With inputs from Mumbai bureau)