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CM downplays Nitesh Rane's ‘BJP is superior' comment

CM downplays Nitesh Rane's ‘BJP is superior' comment

Time of India08-06-2025
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A day after BJP minister Nitesh Rane said that his party is the "baap" (father, implying superiority) of all others, which is why it is holding the post of chief minister in Maharashtra, CM Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday downplayed the controversy surrounding these comments.
"I haven't heard what he (Rane) said. I am only a servant of Maharashtra," he told media persons.
A short while earlier, Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane had reprimanded Nitesh, his younger brother, for the same comments.
In a post on X, Nilesh, who represents the Kudal assembly seat, had said Nitesh should be mindful of his words and ensure that his comments do not offer any gains to the opposition.
Nilesh, who joined the Sena after leaving BJP as part of the seat-sharing adjustment for the 2024 assembly elections, said Nitesh should not forget that Maharashtra has a coalition govt.
In a cryptic reply to the post of his elder brother on X, Nitesh said, "Nilesh ji… you are tax-free."
The comments by Nitesh were made while addressing party workers in Dharashiv on Saturday against the backdrop of friction between the local unit of BJP and Shiv Sena over sanctioning District Planning Development Committees (DPDC) projects. It was considered an apparent dig at Dharashiv guardian minister and Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik.
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Dharashiv MP of Shiv Sena (UBT), Omraje Nimbalkar, has targeted Nitesh over his comments. "Gaining power in democracy does not mean anybody becomes the 'baap'. (Nitesh) Rane is experiencing a frenzy at present, but the people of Maharashtra will show him his place soon," he said.
Omraje also said that he secured more votes in the last Lok Sabha elections than the combined vote share of Nitesh, his brother Nilesh, and father, Narayan Rane.
While addressing party workers in Dharashiv on Saturday, Nitesh also said that no matter how much power anybody shows or throws tantrums, they should remember that the country has a Prime Minister of BJP and the state has a CM of the party.
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