Narayan Rane’s arrest a violation of constitutional values: BJP Chief JP Nadda slams Maharashtra government

Credit: ANI

Mumbai: Hours after the arrest of Union Minister Narayan Rane by the Maharashtra police, BJP Chief JP Nadda on Tuesday (August 24) hit out at the state government calling the arrest unconstitutional.

He added that the party will not get scared and continue the ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’.

“The arrest of Union Minister Narayan Rane by the Maharashtra Government is a violation of constitutional values. We will neither be scared nor suppressed by such action,” Nadda said in a tweet in Hindi.

“The massive support to the BJP’s Jan Ashirwad Yatra has rattled these people. We will continue to fight democratically and the Yatra will go on,” he added.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis also slammed the Maharashtra government for using the police to suppress the Opposition in the state.

“We don't support Narayan Rane's statement (against Uddhav Thackeray) but I, as an individual and the party stand with him. Sharijil Usmani abused Bharat Mata but no FIR was registered against him but you (state govt) filed FIR against Narayan Rane,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut demanded that Rane should "show some respect for the Constitution" and step down as Union minister after being arrested.

Rane was arrested today by Ratnagiri police in Maharashtra after row over his controversial remark that he would have 'slapped Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray'.

“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 was quoted as saying by PTI.

A team of police personnel went to Rane's camp in Sangameshwar in Ratnagiri when he was en route on his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' in the Konkan region and arrested him.