New Delhi: Union Minister Narayan Rane’s son and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nitesh Rane, who has been booked along with his brother Nilesh Rane for allegedly connecting Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar’s name to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, on Sunday alleged the case has been filed as they exposed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra.
He said the Maharashtra government leaders should replace Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi’s photographs with those of Ibrahim from their cabins if they have “so much love” for the underworld don.
A case has been filed against me and my brother over the statement I made,” the BJP MLA said, ANI reported.
“If the MVA (government) and Pawar ji have so much love for Dawood Ibrahim, then they should remove Gandhi ji's photo from their cabin and put up Dawood's photo. Cases being filed against us as we exposed the MVA government,” he added.
His outburst came a day after the case was registered at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan Police Station on a complaint filed by NCP leader Suraj Chavan.
The case has been registered under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Nitesh Rane had earlier in a BJP rally in Azad Maidan alleged that Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik had dealt with Dawood Ibrahim.
Demanding Malik’s resignation, he said the former is not a saint and asked why the state government did not ask for his resignation.