Shinde, Fadnavis getting involved to resolve Bachchu Kadu-Ravi Rana dispute?

With the war of words between Bachchu Kadu and Ravi Rana, two high-profile legislators from Amravati, not letting up, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis attempted for a reconciliation between the two.

Both Kadu and Rana were called to Mumbai and met Shinde separately. They also reportedly called on Fadnavis, who also holds the state’s home affairs portfolio.

Following the meetings, Rana announced he was withdrawing his statement, and urged that Kadu do the same.

Kadu, however, refrained and said he would decide on Tuesday after holding a meeting with his party workers.

Shinde, however, downplayed the development. “We all know both of them are from Amravati…there are local issues, we will sort it out,” he told media persons during an informal chat on Sunday.

Kadu is the founder of Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) and a four-time MLA from Achalpur in Amravati district. Although his most recent election, in 2019, was under the banner of PJP, in 2004, 2009 and 2014, he was an independent candidate. Kadu was also a minister in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, who then was among the first to switch allegiance to Shinde.

Rana, the founder of Yuva Swabhiman Party (YSP), has been an MLA from Bandera for three consecutive terms: 2009, 2014 and 2019. Rana, along with wife Navneet Kaur Rana—a Lok Sabha MP from Amravati—were recently in news for their threat to sing Hanuman Chalisa outside Uddhav Thackeray’s residence and their subsequent arrest.

Over the past few weeks, the two MLAs from the Vidarbha region have been exchanging barbs against each other

While Rana accused Kadu of taking “pannas khokhe” (50 boxes) to go to Guwahati with Shinde—who was instrumental in the split in Shiv Sena—Kadu challenged Rana to justify his allegations by November 1 or “face the consequences”, as seven to eight MLAs, too, called him to express support.