Uddhav Thackeray is not going to be in power forever, says Narayan Rane

It is always interesting to talk to Narayan Rane, former Maharashtra chief minister and the incumbent Union minister of micro, small & medium enterprises (MSME). He has been at loggerheads with the Shiv Sena ever since he quit the party in 2005, over differences with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Rane rarely minces words while criticising the Sena.

Addressing a rally at Mahad in Raigad district on August 23—a stop on his Jan Ashirwad Yatra—Rane said that he would have slapped Uddhav for not remembering the year of India’s Independence. Shiv Sainiks across Maharashtra protested his remarks and four cases were filed against him. He was arrested in the case registered at Mahad, but was released on bail in a couple of hours. He took a short break from the Yatra, and resumed it again on August 27. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Rane spoke about his arrest, his plans for the MSME ministry and the performance of the Central and the Maharashtra governments. Edited excerpts:

Q/What has been the impact of Covid-19 on the MSME sector?

A/I took charge of the ministry on July 7. The very next day I held a meeting of the officials to understand the ministry and to assess the impact of the pandemic. The officials briefed me about the budgetary provisions for the department. I told them that our effort should be focused on the growth of MSMEs so that there is employment generation and an increase in GDP.

The pandemic has hugely affected the MSME sector. We need to provide relief for the affected industries and I have asked the officials to get the necessary data and details. Once I get those, I will meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and urge her to provide relief to the affected units so that they are able to stand on their own feet again.

Q/Do you have a relief package for the MSME sector in mind?

A/I have two things on my mind: insurance and credit from banks. The finance ministry has a big role to play. So, I will request the finance minister to call a meeting of insurance and bank officials and get their views on how much loan can be given, and whether it can be given at a lower rate of interest.

Q/The common complaint of MSME entrepreneurs is that it is tough for them to get bank loans. Banks are generally reluctant because of the lack of collateral, and small loan amounts.

A/MSME entrepreneurs are already suffering because of the pandemic. If they face harassment from banks, they should approach me through their associations. I can then inform the concerned bank that its approach is wrong; if the harassment continues, I will have to take action against them. I plan to open a grievance cell for MSME entrepreneurs, and I will look into those complaints as a matter of priority.

Q/What can be done to help MSMEs achieve their potential and contribute to national growth?

A/In order to fully achieve their potential, it is important to train MSME entrepreneurs, improve their skills and educate them about the benefits of automation and modern machinery available across the globe. All of these will help them increase the quality of their products and improve output. This, in turn, could double their profits.

Q/The Union finance minister recently announced the Ubharte Sitare Fund (Rising Stars Fund) for MSMEs. Do you have any such scheme lined up?

A/I have been discussing certain schemes with department officials, schemes which should be implemented in a time-bound manner. If you give a loan now and then take two years to complete other formalities, then the entrepreneur is already facing the loan burden. So, give them finance, complete the formalities quickly and tell the entrepreneurs that we would like to see the unit becoming productive soon. Then our officials will go and inspect it.

Q/About the Mahad incident. You were arrested for your remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, too, has criticised you.

A/Let Pawar criticise, I don’t have to say anything. He has the right; he is senior in age and experience. But he should have sought information about the entire chain of events before criticising me. That would have been the right thing to do.

Q/You said Uddhav used similar language about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

A/I don’t want to get into that now. All I am saying is that I said, ‘Had I been there with him...’ This is important. I did not say that ‘I will do such a thing’. How can it be a crime? How is it a crime to say that ‘Had I met you 50 years ago, I would have beaten you up or killed you’. So, the action against me was totally wrong.

Q/Now, the Shiv Sena wants cases of some deaths in Sindhudurg to be reinvestigated. Is it an attempt to target you further?

A/This is the politics of revenge, but let them do it. We can also do it. And he (Uddhav Thackeray) is not going to be in power forever. Today he is in power, but tomorrow he will be out of it. Everyone should be well aware of this fact.

Q/Coming back to your remarks, was it an emotional outburst?

A/No, not at all. It was not an emotional outburst. I spoke out of my love for the nation. My nation is my first priority, I will not tolerate it if you say anything wrong.

Q/So, you do not regret those remarks even now?

A/Not at all. What kind of regret? There are many respected people who agree with my statement. Almost everyone feels that action against me was wrong.

Q/Is the government in Maharashtra stable?

A/No, it is not. It will collapse soon.

Q/Can you give a timeline?

A/No, I do not wish to share it so that others may benefit from our plans.

Q/How do you rate the performance of the Thackeray government?

A/There is nothing to say. The government is being run by three parties. The Shiv Sena has its chief minister. But his style of functioning is such that it will not take the state to higher levels of growth. The chief minister is just not capable, he does not have the (wide) knowledge required to run a government successfully. He does not take advice from anyone. That is causing all the problems.

Q/How do you think the state government handled the pandemic?

A/It is a 100 per cent failure. Covid caused deaths of 1.57 lakh people in Maharashtra, which is highest in the country. Why did people have to die? There is no infrastructure to deal with the pandemic, there is a shortage of doctors, nurses and medicines.

Q/What do you think of the performance of the Central government?

A/The performance has been very good. Modi ji has announced around 25 key schemes for the upliftment of the downtrodden. He wants the implementation in a time-bound manner. He is aware of the performance of every ministry. In the case of my ministry, he wants MSMEs to be export oriented so that we can contribute to our nation’s growth story.

Q/You are a member of the Rajya Sabha. On August 11, there was a major ruckus in the house, with the opposition alleging that the government brought in outsiders to deal with the situation.

A/With the help of agencies like the Intelligence Bureau, we had already come to know about the opposition plan to disrupt the house. The opposition was saying, ‘See what happens on the 11th’. And that is what it did. Whatever the opposition members may say about their behaviour on that day, it was not good. It did not match the standards of parliamentary tradition and culture.

Q/Do you think the BJP will win the elections in 2024 at the Centre and in Maharashtra?

A/Yes, the BJP will win both.