23 October,2010 07:21 AM IST | | Varun Singh
Nitesh Narayan Rane on his family's animosity with Uddhav, his NGO and the possibility of him becoming the next Youth Congress president
Settled comfortably in Nitesh Narayan Rane's Khar office, I can't help but think of it as the place where his NGO worker Chintu Sheikh was allegedly shot at.
Ask Rane about the incident, however, and he laughs it off and asks you to find any bulletproof wall in the office.
Nitesh Rane resigned from the Youth Congress in December 2008, as his father was suspended from the party after his outburst against Sonia Gandhi
In a Q&A session spanning nearly an hour, the Swabhiman Sanghatana founder spoke about his youth NGO, his family's animosity towards Uddhav Thackeray and the possibility of him becoming the Youth Congress president. Excerpts:
What was the reason behind starting the Swabhiman Sanghatana?
The youth have been misused for a long time. They were being diverted to emotional issues by parties like the Shiv Sena and MNS. However, identity politics is good only for a limited period. My main reason behind starting the sanghatana was to use youth force for the right causes. That is exactly why we were fighting against water theft.
But then, your men went overboard, took the law into their hands and even blackened the face of a woman a few months ago. How do you justify that?
My men beat up thieves and take them to the police station. Every one saw the woman being taken to the police but no one saw my men being beaten up by the woman's acquaintances. Water theft is a big thing and, hence, we want to take up this issue. We are aiming for the 2012 BMC Elections and we want to fight it on real issues. I am being targeted because I am taking up the cause of the common man.
Targeted in what way?
The Chintu Sheikh case is the best example. I went to the BMC with facts and data to prove my point on water theft. However, the BMC, ruled by the Sena and BJP, didn't have an answer for this. Thus, they raked up this issue because they don't have anything to use against me.
Uddhav Thackeray took a dig on your father during the Sena's Dussehra rally. What is your reaction?
If Uddhav Thackeray can contest a poll and win even a ward election anywhere in Mumbai, my entire family will leave Maharashtra.
Will you and your father ever join the Sena again?
We might give it a thought if Uddhav Thackeray is thrown out of the party. My dad had to leave the Sena because he raised his voice against money laundering in the party for tickets, which was happening in an open meeting.
We hear that you may be taking over as the president of the Youth Congress. Is that true?
I am officially not a member of the party. I resigned in December 2008 when the fiasco happened over dad (Narayan Rane was suspended from the Congress a day after his outburst against Sonia Gandhi after he lost the chief ministerial race). I haven't joined the Congress since then. It's a matter of 'if and when' until the Youth Congress elections are declared.
You are getting married to Pune's Rituja Shinde next month. Is it a love marriage or an arranged one?
We've had a cultured upbringing in our family. The marriage proposal came to us through a relative and dad gave the final nod. My in-laws don't have a political background and I had to call them during the mess (Chintu Sheikh incident) and assure them that there was nothing to worry.
Why did you choose the Turf Club as the venue?
I would like to get married at Shivaji Park. We need space for the wedding because there will be many attendees. However, because Shivaji Park is a silence zone, we had no choice but to opt for Turf Club.
