BJP MLA Nitesh Rane.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Mumbai: In what comes as a major embarrassment for the BJP, party MLA Nitesh Rane was on Monday booked for alleged hate speech against the Muslim community, even as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) launched a scathing attack against the ruling Maha Yuti alliance ahead of Assembly polls in the Maharashtra.
In a video that went viral on social media platforms, Rane can be heard saying that if anyone says anything against Ramgiri Maharaj, “We will enter your mosques and hit you one by one. Keep this in mind."
On Sunday, Rane addressed two public events in Srirampur and Topkhana areas of Ahmednagar district, in support of Hindu seer Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj.
It may be mentioned that Ramagiri Maharaj—in Shah Panchale village in Sinnar taluka of Nashik—had delivered an inflammatory speech against Prophet Muhammad last month, leading to tensions in some places including Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.
Nitesh Rane, is the son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister and former Union minister Narayan Rane, who is now the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg MP and brother of Nilesh Rane, a former MP.
Rane’s statement came at a meeting organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj Ahmednagar to protest the atrocities against Hindus in neighbouring Bangladesh.
In a related development, Mumbai Congress President Prof Varsha Gaikwad, along with senior Congress leaders, met Mumbai Police chief Vivek Phansalkar and lodged a complaint seeking action against Rane.
“BJP leaders including Nitesh Rane and Prasad Lad are trying to disrupt social stability by repeatedly making anti-social statements. Apart from this, Ramgiri Maharaj also made a statement to create a rift between the two communities. Why are the police only looking on? The responsibility of maintaining social harmony and maintaining law and order lies with the police and the Home Ministry. Are all these people making provocative statements being protected because they are associated with the ruling party? Why is there no action against them?,” she asked.
Meanwhile, AIMIM leader and former MLA Waris Pathan said, “Rane is spreading hatred against Muslims in his entire speech. This is inflammatory speech, hate speech. BJP is trying to create communal violence in Maharashtra before the state assembly elections.”
In his defence, Rane said: “We came out in support of Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj. There was nothing new in the statement given by him. I can show you statements of a minimum of 10 Muslim scholars who have already mentioned what Ramgiri Maharaj ji has said. Whoever is supporting Ramgiri Maharaj, those even putting it on their social media status, they are getting death threats.”
On his statement that he is a 'Hindu Gabbar Singh', Rane said: “I gave a statement about me being a Hindu Gabbar Singh. It is on the basis that the Hindu community does not need to be scared…"