Uddhav Thackeray, Narayan Rane trade barbs at Sindhudurg airport inauguration
Chipi, Oct 9: Arch-political enemies Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Union minister Narayan Rane on Saturday shared the dais at the inauguration of an airport at Chipi in the Sindhudurg district, and took swipes at each other.
This was probably for the first time the two came together on stage after Rane parted ways with the Shiv Sena, now headed by Thackeray on a bitter note sixteen years ago.
The occasion also had a backdrop of Rane's arrest in August this year for a remark against the chief minister.
Rane, who hails from Sindhudurg, in his speech listed the work done by him since he was elected as MLA from this picturesque region of coastal Maharashtra for the first time in 1990.
He was given the charge of the district on the instructions of Shiv Sena founder (and Uddhav Thackeray's father) late Bal Thackeray, and there were no proper roads, water or education facilities in the region then, he said.
After the Shiv Sena-BJP combine came to power in the state in 1995, he requested then chief minister Manohar Joshi to declare Sindhudurg as a "tourism district", Rane claimed.
After that the work for basic amenities like roads, power, education, water, and healthcare was carried out. The existing infrastructure is because of Narayan Rane. Nobody can match it, he said.
People know who works. Uddhav-ji, I learnt everything from Saheb (Bal Thackeray), Rane added.
The BJP leader also said even today there is no water or electricity infrastructure near Chipi, nor is there a proper road to the airport.
In a barely veiled attack on the chief minister, Rane said the late Bal Thackeray disliked lying, and did not care for those who lie.
In his speech, chief minister Thackeray hit back, saying, "Balasaheb did not like lying. Hence, many times such people (who lied) were kicked out of the Shiv Sena. (Bal Thackeray would say) Even if the truth is bitter, please speak it."
In another dig at Rane, he said, "As per my knowledge, the Sindhudurg fort was built by (Shivaji) Maharaj...otherwise someone might say `I built it'."
He also said it must be pondered why it took so long for this airport to be built. "Some people said Konkan will be transformed into California, but why has it not happened yet," Thackeray added.
Then he took a dig at Rane's portfolio at the Centre, namely, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
"You (Rane) are a minister. So what if it is 'micro and small', it is still an important department and (we are sure) you will use it for the benefit of Maharashtra," the CM said.
There should also be a heliport at Chipi which can be used for tourism, he said.
The chief minister also said he never mixed politics and work, and when Rane called him up for the grant of approval for a medical college in the Sindhudurg district, he immediately cleared the proposal.
Since his exit from the Sena in 2005, for which he blamed Uddhav Thackeray, Rane has often targeted the latter.
Soon after he was inducted into the Union cabinet, Rane was arrested by the Maharashtra police in August over his comments against Thackeray. He was granted bail by the court the same day.
Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on this occasion that thanks to the new airport, the distance of 530 km between Mumbai and Chipi can now be covered in 50 minutes.
There are also plans to connect Chipi with Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and other major cities and 20-25 flights to Chipi will be started in the next five years, he said.
Maharashtra now has 14 airports, Scindia noted.
Tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray, who also handles environment portfolio, said all efforts will be made to promote tourism in Konkan while conserving its ecology.
The Sindhudurg Airport, also known as Chipi Airport, is spread over 275 hectares. The length of its runway is 2,500 metres, and it can accommodate narrow-body aircraft like Airbus A-320 and Boeing B-737.
The airport terminal building has the capacity to handle 200 departing and 200 arriving passengers during peak hours.
Union minister Ramdas Athawale and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar were also among those present on the occasion.
Sindhudurg Greenfield Airport Inauguration-LIVE #ChipiAirport https://t.co/fixR5bssZq
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) October 9, 2021
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Skipper Curran, bowlers lead PBKS to a five-wicket win over RR
Guwahati, May 15: Skipper Sam Curran played the lead act hitting a well-paced fifty and taking two wickets, as Punjab Kings consigned Rajasthan Royals to a five-wicket defeat in their IPL match here on Wednesday.
The target was a mere 145, but Kings made heavy weather of it on a sluggish track here but Curran (63 not out, 41b, 5x4, 3x6) had a calm head and skills to lift them to their fifth win of the season. PBKS made 145/5 in 18.5 overs.
The Englishman received good support from Jitesh Sharma (22, 20b) as the pair added 63 runs in a fluent fifth wicket partnership.
For Royals, it was their fourth defeat on the trot, but they remained second on the table with 16 points with a qualification to the playoffs to boot with.
The Kings’ chase began on a shaky note as they lost Prabhsimran Singh in the first over itself to Trent Boult.
But bigger jolts were in store as an impressive Avesh Khan (2/28) scalped two wickets in the fifth over.
The right-arm pacer first plucked the important wicket of Rilee Rossouw, who played some strong shots in his 13-ball 22, and then jettisoned in-form Shashank Singh for a two-ball naught.
Shashank failed to connect a fuller, straighter one from Avesh while attempting a flick, and the 141 kmph delivery thudded on his bat. Shashank did not even bother to use DRS as he walked away.
Punjab gained some ground through the alliance between Curran and Jitesh, who smoked R Ashwin for two sixes.
Curran too gave a dose of punishment to the veteran offie, lofting him for a wonderful six over extra cover.
But the blossoming stand was snapped by Yuzvendra Chahal (2/31), leaving PBKS at 111 for five in the 16th over.
However, Curran and Ashutosh Sharma (17 not out, 11 balls) knocked off the remaining runs without further drama.
Earlier, despite a well-tuned 48 from local hero Riyan Parag, RR struggled against an array of accurate bowlers on a rather slow pitch, meandering to a sub-par 144 for nine.
R Ashwin (28, 19b, 3x4, 1x6) and Parag (48, 34, 6x4) tried to accelerate during their 50-run stand for the fourth wicket but it could only bring in a temporary momentum for RR.
In fact, lethargy had set in very early in the Rajasthan innings after the early loss of Jaiswal, who chopped a Curran (2/24) delivery back on to his stumps.
Sanju Samson (18), who went past 500-run in a season for the first time in his IPL career, and Tom-Kohler Cadmore (18, 23b) stitched 36 runs for the second wicket but took six overs for it.
But with Curran and Arshdeep finding a hint of swing and maintaining a good line, scoring was not an easy proposition for the RR batters.
Eventually, Samson, who tried a hopping cut off pacer Nathan Ellis, gave a simple catch to Rahul Chahar at point in the seventh over.
Cadmore too returned to the dugout in the next over, as his almighty heave off leg-spinner Chahar (2/26) could not progress beyond Jitesh in the deep.
Those twin dismissals actually paved the way for the best phase in the Royals’ innings as Ashwin and Parag pressed their foot on the right pedal.
Ashwin displayed his batting skills, smashing Chahar for 17 runs in the 12th over that included a sequence of 6, 4, 4 and the first four was a stunning reverse scoop over backward point.
But he could not further extend his innings, lofting Arshdeep to Shashank.
Parag, usually a free-flowing batter, had to curb his flair in front of a hugely adoring home crowd because of the regular fall of wickets at the other end.
But a late cut off Curran that sped to third man stood as a testament of his ability and timing as he also moved past the 500-run mark for the season, before getting trapped in front of the wicket by Harshal Patel.
However, apart from conquering those little peaks the RR batters failed to slip into the top gear consistently.
