Mumbai: Maharashtra strongman Narayan Rane, who quit the Congress last month, announced the formation of his political party, the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha, on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, Rane launched a direct attack on Shiv Sena, which he had quit in 2005, and its chief Uddhav Thackeray.
“Who is Uddhav Thackeray? He targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and me at a rally in Shivaji Park yesterday. What is his contribution to the government? He criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demonetisation. Why were his ministers silent then?” Rane asked.
“Most of them sleep through Cabinet meetings. I am asked whether the Shiv Sena will stick with the BJP alliance till full term. I have always maintained that Sena will not leave the government, but will be kicked out,” said Rane.
His attack on Thackeray came a day after the Shiv Sena chief took on alliance partner BJP over issues ranging from patriotism to cow vigilantism.
"Don't teach us patriotism. The day when we need to be taught patriotism hasn't come yet," Thackeray had said, addressing the annual Dussehra rally of his party at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai. "We are not opposing the ban on cow slaughter, but what is that the BJP wants to achieve from it? We believe in the Hindutva defined by late Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who was quite practical about its exercise in daily life.”
Accusing the Sena of corruption, Rane said, “No one in Shiv Sena gets a ticket without paying crores. If you are in power, you have to give suggestions. Are you helpless in power, Uddhav,” he asked.
Rane also sought to turn the tables on the Sena over the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, which is facing flak since 22 people were killed in stampede at Elphinstone Railway Station.
“Don’t you (Uddhav Thackeray) want development? Balasaheb (Thackeray) said a Marathi manoos (man) should be rich at heart. But his (Uddhav’s) heart is rotten. He played the role of Raavan yesterday when he called PM Modi a liar. I didn’t like it,” Rane said.
Talking about his Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha, which will support the BJP, Rane said it will work for the development of farmers, minorities and women. “We will register the party soon and will announce the flag and electoral sign as well,” he said, adding that he will always aspire to be CM.
Rane had resigned from the Congress last month, upset at not being made the chief minister when he joined the party 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena. The 65-year-old Konkan strongman was the chief minister in 1999 while in the Sena.
The former Shiv Sainik joined the Congress on July 26, 2005, and was the next day made revenue minister in the then Congress-led government in the state.
Rane, who has pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled from the Sena by then supremo Bal Thackeray after he voiced displeasure over the latter's son Uddhav gaining prominence in the party.
A tough-talking leader, Rane, who was handpicked by Thackeray as chief minister when he decided to remove Manohar Joshi ahead of the 1999 Assembly polls, even claimed he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.
He, however, did not say if he was offered any post.
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