Home dept targeting my family at patil’s behest: Rane

As chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was celebrating completion of one year in office, his senior ministers were once again locked in a bitter fight.

As chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was celebrating completion of one year in office, his senior ministers were once again locked in a bitter fight.

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This time, Congress leader and industries minister Narayan Rane has targeted the Nationalist Congress party senior and home minister RR Patil, alleging that the home department has taken their political rivalry to another level. On Thursday, Rane alleged that the home department was targeting his family at Patil’s behest. He accused the home department of framing false criminal cases against his family.

Rane said that Patil, instead of reining in people who had attacked the police force in Chiplun, directed the police to book his MP son Nilesh for attacking NCP minister Bhaskar Jadhav’s office.

The political rivalry between Rane and Jadhav is old. Last week, their supporters attacked each other in Chiplun. Jadhav accused Rane’s son of ransacking his office, a charge that Rane refused. The local police even booked Rane’s son for his suspected role in the attack.

Rane said that the police filed a case against his son only because the home minister wanted them to do so. “I think that the home department has issued standing instructions to the police to act swiftly whenever accusations are made against my family,” Rane said.

Patil, who was not in Mumbai, did not answer our repeated calls.