 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Maharashtra revenue minister Narayan Rane dared Shiv Sena to disrupt Rahul Gandhi's Mumbai visit on Friday, saying if the party made such an attempt, its leaders would not be allowed to move in the state.
Responding to the reported diktat issued by the Sena to its activists to stage black flags demonstrations during Rahul's visit, Rane said "They cannot stop Rahul Gandhi. And if they try to do it, the Sena leaders will not be allowed to move in Maharashtra."
Addressing reporters in Pune, Rane also demanded enactment of a law which would disqualify parties like Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to contest in Lok Sabha elections as they posed danger to national integrity with the type of politics they practised.
Launching a scathing attack on the Sena, Rane, himself a former "Sainik" before crossing over to Congress--- said Shiv
Sena was approaching its doom and was just " wagging its tail". "The Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena and MNS are fighting among themselves for selfish political gains", he added.
On the 2004 visit of Pakistani cricketer Javed Miadad to Bal Thackeray, the minister said that in the Sena it had always been " Kabhi gale lago , Kabhi Patthar pheko" policy. (Bouquets and brickbats). "Even Shah Rukh Khan had once gone to "Matoshree" (Thackeray's residence)", he said.
He derided the Sena MP Sanjay Raut and his statements about the actor saying Raut was a " paid leader" of the party. Rane also criticised media for the reports about the state Chief Minister Ashok Chavan being isolated in the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, on the issue of taxi permits. "The reports are baseless", he said adding " We are all firmly behind the chief minister".