After Minister's Arrest, Rivals Uddhav Thackeray, Narayan Rane Share Stage
NDTV
Narayan Rane's comment and arrest - the first time in 20 years a union minister was taken into custody - triggered (yet another) spat between former allies Shiv Sena and the BJP, this one just months before critical civic polls in Mumbai
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Union Minister Narayan Rane shared a stage on Saturday as they inaugurated an airport in Sindhudurg district.
It should have been a routine public event but for one problem - in August Mr Thackeray's government arrested Mr Rane (a former Shiv Sena leader) for comments criticising the Chief Minister's "ignorance of the year India won Independence".
The swipes and jabs started with Mr Rane, who is from Sindhudurg, took the opportunity to highlight his contributions after being elected as its MLA for the first time in 1990.
He said that it was under directions from the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray he was deputed to Sindhudurg, and that it was due to his efforts the Konkan region received an infrastructure boost.