Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday warned BJP leader and Union Minister Narayan Rane to stop "threatening" the Thackeray family and the Maharashtra government even as he said that the party leaders will meet Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil to demand reopening of murder cases in Sindhudurg, Rane's home district.
"Narayan Rane is threatening that he has our horoscope. Stop giving threats. We too have your horoscope. You might be Union Minister but this is Maharashtra. Don't forget this. We are your 'baap', you very well know what that means," Sanjay Raut said in Mumbai. In a veiled reference to Rane, Shiv Sena MP from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency and party spokesperson Vinayak Raut said that entire Maharashtra knows who was involved in murders and extortion.
"Levelling allegations of corruption and murders against Shiv Sena is a mockery (of the post held by Rane). Has he forgotten his past?" Raut questioned. He alleged that "seven political murders" had taken place in the Sindhudurg district in the last nine years. "We will ask the state home minister to reopen these cases," Raut said.
The Shiv Sena heads the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. Walse Patil belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party.
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Addressing a press conference here, Raut played videos of former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya speaking against Narayan Rane, who was earlier associated with Congress. The exchange of words between Shiv Sena and Rane, a former Shiv Sainik, became sharper after Rane on Friday said that he had "learnt" that an ED notice is ready for "four persons" in 'Matoshree', the private residence of Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Bandra in Mumbai.
Earlier, the Shiv Sena-headed Mumbai civic body had served a notice on a bungalow owned by Narayan Rane for conducting inspection and taking measurements of the premises located in the upscale Juhu area. Referring to Rane's tweet on the ED notice, Raut said Rane was misusing his position as a Union minister to threaten action by the anti-money laundering agency against "Matoshree". He said the Shiv Sena will raise this issue during the next session of Parliament. "Has he (Rane) stolen papers from the ED office or is anyone from ED working for him", he asked. Speaking at the same presser, Shiv Sena chief spokesman Sanjay Raut said that the party will expose a " big ED scam" next week.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said she was dismayed at Rane's allegations regarding the death of Disha Salian, former manager of Bollywood actor the late Sushant Singh Rajput. "Rane had maligned her character after her death," she said and hoped that the state women's commission will take note of Rane's comments. Salian, 28, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the high-rise building in the Malad area here on June 8, 2020.
