“Malicious, Utterly Condemnable”: Kerala Chief Minister On Maha Minister’s ‘Pakistan’ Comments
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane faced backlash from Kerala’s Chief Minister and the Opposition after he labelled the state of Kerala as “mini-Pakistan.” Vijayan denounced Rane’s statements as “deeply malicious.”
Describing Kerala as a ‘bastion of secularism and communal harmony,’ the state chief minister strongly condemned the BJP party and called them out for attempting to marginalise regions and using hate campaigns as divisive tools.
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He stated that such rhetoric reflected the “hate campaigns orchestrated by the Sangh Parivar against Kerala.”
The state chief minister denounced the “vile attack” on Kerala and called upon all democratic and secular forces to fight against the Sangh Parivar’s “hateful propaganda.”
“The derogatory remark by Maharashtra Fisheries and Ports Minister @NiteshNRane, labelling Kerala as ‘mini-Pakistan’, is deeply malicious & utterly condemnable. Such rhetoric reflects the hate campaigns orchestrated by the Sangh Parivar against Kerala, a bastion of secularism & communal harmony. We strongly denounce this vile attack on Kerala, & call upon all democratic & secular forces to unite against Sangh Parivar’s hateful propaganda,” wrote the Kerala CM in an X post.
The derogatory remark by Maharashtra Fisheries and Ports Minister @NiteshNRane, labelling Kerala as ‘mini-Pakistan’, is deeply malicious & utterly condemnable. Such rhetoric reflects the hate campaigns orchestrated by the Sangh Parivar against Kerala, a bastion of secularism &…
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) December 31, 2024
During a rally in Purandar tehsil of Pune district on Sunday, Rane called Kerala a “mini-Pakistan” and said that “all terrorists vote for Gandhis,” referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. He faced sharp criticism from opposition parties for his remarks.
Calling Kerala a part of India, Rane further added, “Religious conversion of Hindus into Christians and Muslims is becoming an everyday thing there [in Kerala]. Love jihad cases are also increasing there.”
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Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis for continuing to allow Rane to remain part of the cabinet. “From morning to evening, Nitesh Rane only spreads Dharmandata (communalism). If you (Modi and Fadnavis) call yourself deshbhakt (nationalist), how is such a person still in the cabinet?” he asked.
Son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane, Nitesh Rane recently won the 2024 state assembly elections from the Kankavli seat.
This isn’t the first time Rane made hateful speeches against the Muslim community. In April, four cases of hate speech were filed against him for allegedly threatening the minority community following communal violence in Mira Road, Mumbai.
Earlier, Rane faced backlash for a speech during the Hindu Jan Aakrosh rally in Solapur, where he used terms like “jihadis” and spoke about mosque demolitions. Last year, he called for entry restrictions at Navratri events, citing concerns about “love jihad” and alleged infiltration by non-Hindus.
