Minister claims MP Narayan Rane endured criminal cases, went to jail to rise in politics

Responding to the remarks, Narayan Rane's son and state BJP minister Nitesh Rane on Sunday said his father has no police record against him related to any murder and that he will meet Gogawale and "broaden his understanding" of certain facts.

Mumbai: In what appears to have been a slip of tongue, Maharashtra Minister for Employment Guarantee Scheme Bharat Gogawale, who is part of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, claimed that BJP MP Narayan Rane did not reach his current stature easily as he faced several criminal cases, went to jail, and indulged in fights and even murder.

Rane, who is currently the BJP MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, had served as Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition and a Union minister. Besides, he had been MLA, MLC and member of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha - a distinction which has been achieved only by a few.

Rane’s younger son Nitesh Rane, a BJP MLA from Kankavli, is the state Ports and Fisheries Minister while his older son Nilesh Rane is a Shiv Sena MLA from Kudal.

The comments of Gogawale, who is an MLA from Mahad in Raigad district, spread like wildfire.

While Rane did not comment, his son Nitesh Rane reacted to Gogawale’s statement.

“I have not heard his speech…Gogawale is a Cabinet colleague of mine…when I meet him, I will improve his knowledge. Besides, I would like to mention that there are no police records (of murder) against Rane Saheb, who had been the Chief Minister,” he said.

Addressing a meeting in Sindhudurg, Gogawale said: "Today we have got strength in the form of Nilesh Rane in the district. Our (Shiv Sena's Sawantwadi MLA) Deepak Kesarkar Saheb is not into fights. If a Shiv Sainik does not do ruckus, he is not a Shiv Sainik…at one time in Maharashtra, be it Narayan Rane or many other leaders...Narayan Rane did not reach this stature so easily. He took cases on himself, did ruckus, went to jail, indulged in fights, murder...everything happened.”

Rane, popularly known as Dada, was the Chief Minister in 1999 of the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP government and later became Leader of Opposition.

It may be mentioned Rane had been booked in the case of murder of Sindhudurg Congress leader Shridhar Naik in 1991, but was acquitted in 1997. Shridhar Naik was the uncle of Shiv Sena MLA Vaibhav Naik who defeated Narayan Rane, then in the Congress, in the 2014 Assembly polls.

Gogawale, who is popularly known as Bharat Sheth, often makes the news for controversial statements.

Recently a video clip of his went viral in which he was purportedly seen performing occult rituals.