Mumbai (Maharashtra): The Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' in its stinging editorial 'Pierced Balloon' stated that Union Minister Narayan Rane was never great and that the latter got his recognition having served in the party earlier. The BJP leader was slammed in the editorial for his hoodlum acts and even likened to a 'pierced balloon' and 'frog'.
The Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led party also questioned Rane as to 'who he exactly is?' No matter how much air is filled in this balloon, it will not go up even if it is inflated, the Sena said, adding that the BJP has decided to inflate this pierced balloon.
Rane who had begun his career as a Shakha Pramukh of the Shiv Sena went on to become a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) corporator, and later the chairman of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply Undertaking Committee. It was in 1999 that he replaced party colleague Manohar Joshi as the Maharashtra CM for a span of six months. While working in the Shiv Sena, Rane had allegedly enforced party diktats on the streets of Mumbai which led to his dismissal from the party in 2005.
Read: Court grants bail to Narayan Rane in Maha CM remark case
Sena's strong response in the editorial comes in the backdrop of Rane's statement made at a Jan Ashirvad Rally, wherein the Union MSME Minister made a 'slap slur' against state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP leader's remarks triggered a massive political uproar and led to several protests.
A magistrate court in Mahad in Raigad district of Maharashtra had granted bail to arrested Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane for his 'slap remark' against Chief Minister Thackeray on a surety of Rs 15,000.
The Union Minister was granted bail post eight hours of his dramatic arrest by a police force from his camp in Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri.
Read: 'Slap Uddhav' remark: Nashik police summon Narayan Rane on Sept 2
