MUMBAI: Keeping party politics away, two key DF ministers, NCP's Chhagan Bhujbal and Congress's Narayan Rane, on Monday paid tributes to their political mentor and former boss Balasaheb Thackeray at a condolence meeting held at Mantralaya, the state government headquarters.
Thackeray died after protracted illness at his Bandra residence on November 17.
Even as he fondly recalled his long association with the late Thackeray, Rane made it clear that he had no intention of going back to Shiv Sena, the party he quit in 2005 after irreconcilable differences with Uddhav Thackeray.
"Sena is my past and Congress my future," said Rane, scotching speculation in political circles that he may well be keen on worming his way back to the Sena fold, in the post-Thackeray era. Rane headed the Sena-BJP government for eight months in 1999. The fiesty Congressman is seen as a strong contender for the chief ministership in the DF.
Stating that Balasaheb lived life king-size, Rane said, "He taught his followers to think big and positive. He loved them like head of the family. His popularity across Maharashtra was phenomenal."
Rane said Thackeray never believed in sham democracy. If he made up his mind, he would act swiftly. There was no hemming and hawing. He chose me to succeed Manohar Joshi as CM and that was that. Unlike other political parties, the Sena didn't believe in striking a balance between factions or taking an arduous route to choose a chief minister,'' said the industries minister.
Bhujbal said Balasaheb had transcended the narrow limits of party politics. "He was not a politician in the sense we understand. He came from a family of social reformers. He combined oratory, organizational skills and charisma to put the Sena on a firm footing. To me, both Balasaheb and his wife, Meenatai, were like parents. I and Rane got plum positions in NCP and Congress because we had done long years of apprenticeship in the Sena. This happened because of Balasaheb," Bhujbal added.
Narayan Rane clears the air, no plan to join Shiv Sena
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Narayan Rane clears the air, no plan to join Shiv Sena
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Narayan Rane clears the air, no plan to join Shiv Sena
