If Rane was arrested for comment against CM, why not Patole, asks Maha BJP chief

The BJP on Tuesday asked why the Maharashtra government was not dealing with Congress leader Nana Patole the same way it dealt with Union minister Narayan Rane for provocative remarks.Patole, the state Congress chief, has kicked up controversy with his purported remark that he can beat up, badmouth Modi.Speaking to reporters here, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said, If Narayan Rane can be arrested for his alleged comment, so can be Nana Patole.

The BJP on Tuesday asked why the Maharashtra government was not dealing with Congress leader Nana Patole the same way it dealt with Union minister Narayan Rane for provocative remarks.

Patole, the state Congress chief, has kicked up controversy with his purported remark that he can `beat up, badmouth Modi'.

Speaking to reporters here, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said, "If Narayan Rane can be arrested for his alleged comment, so can be Nana Patole. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government (of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) is treating almost similar comments differently.'' BJP leader Rane had been arrested in August 2021 for alleged comment that he would have slapped Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for `not knowing' the year of India's independence. Rane was later released on bail.

On Monday, a video of Patole, where he purportedly said "I can hit Modi, can abuse him; so he did not come to campaign against me,'' went viral, prompting BJP leaders to lash out at him.

Patole later claimed that he was talking about a local village goon while campaigning in Bhandara district and not about prime minister Narendra Modi.

"I think state police are under political pressure, so they are not taking any action against Patole. Not a single complaint was accepted by police. We will meet the governor about this issue,'' Chandrakant Patil said.

If needed the BJP will also approach the court seeking action against Patole, he added.

BJP workers also staged protests against Patole in many places in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)