Maha CM to Hold Crucial Meeting at His Residence With Top MVA Leaders on Narayan Rane's Arrest

A crucial meeting will begin shortly at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s official residence Varsha in Mumbai. The meeting will be attended by top leaders of Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government in the state to discuss about matters related to Union Minister Narayan Rane’s arrest throughout the day.

Those who will be present in the meeting with Thackeray are – State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan and Nana Patole.

A few hours back, Rane was arrested over his controversial remarks against Thackeray, which triggered a political row and protests. Rane had said that he would have slapped Thackeray over the latter’s ignorance of the year of India’s independence.

Rane was taken into custody by police in the coastal Ratnagiri district, where he is travelling as part of the Jan Ashirwad Yatra, and taken to the Sangameshwar police station, an official said. A complaint was lodged by Nashik city Shiv Sena unit chief at the cyber police station there, after which an FIR was registered against Rane under IPC sections 500 (defamation), 505(2) (mischief), 153-B (1)(c) (remarks likely to cause disharmony, or feeling of enmity or hatred or ill-will), a police official said.

There were reports that while the process to arrest him was on, Rane complained of high blood pressure and sugar levels and a doctor was called to examine him. “It is shameful that the chief minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given (him) a tight slap,” Rane had said in adjoining Raigad district on Monday.

The former chief minister claimed Thackeray forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address to the people of the state. Thackeray had to check the year of independence with his aides midway during the speech that day, Rane said. Rane defended his remarks against Thackeray, saying he hasn’t committed any crime by making them.

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