24 March,2017 08:31 AM IST | | Dharmendra Jore
Says his proximity to the CM didn't mean that he was defecting to the BJP
Narayan Rane
Congress leader Narayan Rane's growing proximity to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has lately been a matter of concern for the party, so much so that they are even talking about the possibilities of him joining the BJP. A miffed Rane on Thursday denied the allegations and said that the party members were spreading baseless rumours.
Speaking to the media, Rane said, "There is no offer from the BJP and no leader has talked to me on this issue. I met the CM for some work and that does not mean that I'm defecting to the BJP."
He further said, "Some people in the Congress are responsible for spreading these rumours. Such loose talk will not disturb me."
When asked about his proximity with the CM, Rane said, "I have travelled with the CM thrice, but what's the big deal about it?"
According to sources, Rane has been aggressive ever since he joined the Congress 11 years ago. During the Congress rule, he wanted to become the CM, but the party high command did not favour him. "Some people in the party have been troubling my family ever since I joined the Congress," added Rane.
Repeatedly ignored
At a time when he expected the party to replace late Vilasrao Deshmukh with him, he was made the revenue minister. And when Deshmukh quit in the wake of the 26/11-terror attack, Rane was ignored once again and Chavan was made the CM.
On losing the chief ministerial race, Rane had criticised Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and a number of others. Following the outburst, the leader was suspended from the party but later inducted in Chavan's cabinet as industry minister.
Currently, he is not happy with some of the party leaders and has also been vocal against state Congress president Ashok Chavan.
It's late
Rane said that the party needed to be restructured but wished that the high command thought about it earlier. He concluded by saying, "Earthquake happens without any warning."
Congress-NCP to boycott session
Cong-NCP to boycott session Meanwhile, the Congress and NCP leaders are mulling to boycott the remaining part of the budget session and go on a pan-Maharashtra yatra (march) to connect with farmers, who have been denied a loan waiver. The two parties held a joint meeting on Thursday to discuss the plan, which is likely to be declared on Friday.
