Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane arrested over his remarks about ‘slapping CM Uddhav Thackery’

Aug. 24: Narayan Rane, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), was arrested Tuesday after a sessions court in Ratnagiri rejected his transit anticipatory bail application in connection with his controversial remark about ‘slapping Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.’

This is said to be a first in the state when a serving Union Minister has been arrested and comes around 20 years after a union cabinet ministers, the late Murasoli Maran and T.R. Baalu, both in the government of the late Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, were nabbed by Chennai Police in June 2001. Mr Rane was arrested on non-bailable charges including rioting over his comment on slapping the Maharashtra Chief Minister.

Rane, who is on Jan Ashirwad Yatra touring Chiplun in Ratnagiri district, said on Tuesday that he does not regret making controversial remarks about CM Thackeray. “I have not committed any crime. Why should I regret it?” Three FIRs have been registered against Narayan Rane in Nashik, Pune and Mahad.