No place in BJP, ex-Cong leader Narayan Rane floats new party

Mumbai: Former senior congress leader Narayan Rane on Sunday said that he will float a new party, which will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh.

"I have just launched the party. I am waiting for some people to join, then I will decide the future course (of action)," the 65-year-old Konkan strongman said at a press conference here.

Given chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ strong opposition to ex-Congress leader Narayan Rane being inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rumours had that the latter was likely to form his own party, Swabhiman, on October 1.

Senior BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari and Chandrakant Patil — number two in state Cabinet —had been lobbying for Rane’s induction. Earlier there were talks of Rane joining the BJP.

“Mr Rane has a track record of attacking people in coveted positions in a few days. He has done this wherever he went. We have seen this in the Congress. Mr Fadnavis opposed his induction to avoid that embarrassment,” said close confidant of the chief minister.

Rane along with state BJP chief Raosaheb Danve, Chandrakant Patil and Fadnavis met BJP national president Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday.

It is being said that Shah went along with Fadnavis’ plan (not to allow Rane into the party) in the meeting. 

Given the cordial relation between Patil and Shah, it was expected that Shah would go for Rane’s induction. But, Fadnavis proved his position in party by surpassing two strong leaders in state.

(With inputs from PTI)