Maharashtra BJP MLA Nitesh Rane.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Kankavli: Maharashtra BJP MLA Nitesh Rane has said he will ensure "vote jihad" does not happen in the upcoming state assembly polls and maintained he was not afraid of the multiple FIRs pertaining to hate speeches registered against him.
In an interview to PTI, Rane, who is the BJP's nominee from Kankavli seat in Sindhudurg district, asserted he has "not done anything wrong" by taking the side of his "dharma" or community.
"I am going to be mentioned as a Hindu on my birth and death certificate. If I am being blamed for a hate crime just because I am trying to take the side of my own dharma or my community, religion, I don't think there is anything wrong in it. I have absolutely not done anything wrong," he said.
The BJP leader claimed "vote jihad" happened during the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year.
"We will ensure this vote jihad does not happen during the state elections," asserted Rane ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls.
"Vote jihad" is a term used by BJP leaders to claim the Muslim community en mass voted against the party in the Lok Sabha polls.
On one side, "certain jihadi minded" people of the Muslim community, the "Rohingyas and Bangladeshis" want to claim that they follow the Constitution, but on the other side they will do everything that comes under the Sharia law, Rane alleged.
"If you are promoting peace between Hindus and Muslims, if you think the law should be the same for Hindus and Muslims, then why are you doing love jihad, land jihad and vote jihad?" said the legislator, who is the son of BJP MP Narayan Rane.
"Why can't you fight as an Indian, why can't you vote as an Indian. Why do you have to tell your community that you have voted against the Modi government?" he asked.
On the other side, they also want to take advantage of all schemes of the central government, the BJP leader added.
The two-term MLA has more than half-a-dozen FIRs registered against him across the state over hate speeches, as per his election affidavit.
In a video which went viral on social media in September, Nitesh Rane was heard commenting that if anyone says anything against religious leader Ramgiri Maharaj, "we will enter your mosques and hit you one by one. Keep this in mind." Following that, he was booked for allegedly making provocative speeches and hurting religious sentiments.
Ramigiri Maharaj has been accused of making controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
Referring to the cases against him, Nitesh Rane said, "My every comment has attracted an FIR. It is basically when I am taking the side of my own community, when injustice has been done to them, when they are not allowed to celebrate their festivals in our Hindu Rashtra." "If that attracts FIR and if I am blamed for taking the side of my own religion, I will be very happy to face any kind of action," he said.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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