Rane backs MNS chief, attacks Uddhav

Revenue Minister Narayan Rane has redrawn the battle lines with his former party, the Shiv Sena. Rane defended Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray’s move to not vote for the Shiv Sena in the recent Legislative Council elections.

Revenue Minister Narayan Rane has redrawn the battle lines with his former party, the Shiv Sena.

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Rane defended Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray’s move to not vote for the Shiv Sena in the recent Legislative Council elections.

“Why do you expect the MNS to vote for you after the treatment meted out to him (Raj Thackeray),” Rane said in a signed article published on the front page of Marathi newspaper, Prahaar, on Monday.

The newspaper, owned by Rane’s family, is being seen as Rane’s platform to counter the Sena’s tirade against him.

“None of the leaders [in the Sena] have a moral right to criticise others as ‘Dhanse’,” Rane wrote referring to Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s piece calling MNS Dhanse (a pun on MNS’s Marathi abbreviation, Manase).

The former Sena leader, who is now with the Congress, also criticised Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray for ‘hijacking’ his agenda on Konkan. Rane said the Sena’s graph was dipping under Uddhav’s leadership and the latter should introspect rather than criticise others for his party’s defeat. Sena’s nominee Anil Parab, a close aide of Uddhav, lost in the recent Legislative Council polls and Uddhav had blamed this on MNS’s decision to back the Congress’ candidates.