Pratapsingh Raoji Rane

Infobox_Indian_politician


name = Pratapsingh Raoji Rane
birth_date = Birth date and age|1939|1|28|mf=y
birth_place = Goa
residence = Sanquelim, Goa
death_date =
death_place =
constituency =
office = Chief Minister of Goa
salary =
term =
predecessor =
successor =
party =Indian National Congress
spouse =
children =
website =
email = [e-mail]
footnotes =
date = June 18
year = 2006 |
source = http://www.goavidhansabha.gov.in/profile.php?memberid=3&class=gov Government of Goa

Pratapsingh Raoji Rane (Marathi : प्रतापसिंह राणे)(also known as Pratapsing Rane or Prataphsinh Rane), (born January 28, 1939) is an Indian politician from the state of Goa, currently serving as the speaker of the state assembly. He has served as the Chief Minister of Goa 6 times - from 1980 to 1985, 1985 to 1989, for three months in 1990, from 1994 to 1999, from February 3, 2005 to March 4, 2005 and from June 2005 to June 2007.

Rane has been a member of the Indian National Congress since the mid-seventies, and was earlier a prominent figure in the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. In the MGP, he was minister for law and also held other portfolios, in the term beginning 1972.

Early life

Rane has a BBA degree from the United States, and comes from the prominent Maratha family of the Ranes, that dominated politics out of their home in the north eastern pocket of Sattari in Goa. They have had a set of revolts and peace treaties with the Portuguese while the latter were ruling Goa. The family traces their roots to the Rane clan of Marathas.

He dominated politics in Goa for the entire decade of the 1980s, and for part of the 1990s. His achievements include the launching of the Kadamba Transport Corporation government-run bus transport system in Goa which had a poor transportation system, which could still do with further improvements.

Political career

In the 1980s, dissidents within the ruling Congress party sought to dislodge Rane from power, by appealing to New Delhi, mostly unsuccessfully. Some of his later tenures in power earned criticism allegedly because of growing corruption during his regime. He was leader of the Opposition while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Goa from the late-1990s till early 2005. His critics, like the then editor of the local Goa newspaper Herald or O Heraldo, Rajan Narayan criticised Rane for not doing enough as the leader of the Opposition.

Ironically, Rane became chief minister after the Congress's first-ever win in Goa in 1980 mainly as a "consensus candidate", after a bitter battle for the top political slot between the then two Congress heavyweights, Dr Wilfred de Souza and Anant Narcinva Naik, also known as Babu Naik. Naik was subsequently largely marginalised in state politics, while Souza served under Rane in some of his Cabinets.

After 5 years of BJP rule, Rane began his fifth term as chief minister in February 2005 after the government fell due to a split in the Goa BJP. A month later, however, the state was put under president’s rule for three months. Rane then served as chief minister for the sixth time, for two years until the June 2007 state elections. Though the Congress Party and its allies won a comfortable majority, Rane was forced to step aside as chief minister due to infighting within the state Congress party, and was forced to step aside in favor of a neutral candidate, Digambar Kamat. Rane was, however, elected speaker of the state assembly when it reconvened a few days later. [http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=45666]

Personal

By profession, Rane is an agriculturist. He is married. He enjoys reading and watching Marathi Drama. His niece Kartika Rane is a popular Marathi actress.

Controversy

After the BJP attempted a "show of strength" to take over the Goa house, they were stifled by Rane. The BJP accused Rane of acting in a partisan manner to protect the Congress led government. [ [http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=90195 Goa Speaker acting in partisan manner: BJP-led front] July 30, 2007]

References

External links

* [http://www.goavidhansabha.gov.in/profile.php?memberid=3&class=gov Goa Assembly - Chief Minister Profile, official version]
* [http://www.google.co.in/search?q=Rane+Goa&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:unofficial Links to Pratapsing Rane on Google search]