Controversial BJP leader Nitesh Rane, infamous for his hate-filled remarks, has once again ignited a row with his latest speech delivered in Maharashtra’s Sangli. On Thursday, Rane remarked that if police were given a day off, Hindus would demonstrate their strength.
In a video shared by news agency IANS on X, the Kankavli MLA can be heard saying, “Send the police on 24 hours leave. We Hindus will come out to show our strength… the next time you come across a case of love jihad, find the person and break his bones. Call me, as it’s my responsibility to ensure that nothing will happen to you.”
When asked by the media about the speech, Rane responded that he attended the event not as an MLA or a politician but as a Hindu addressing his community.
“I am not here as an MLA or a party worker but as a Hindu to speak to the Hindu community. I am doing my religious duty. Today, our religion is being challenged. As a Hindu, I am standing my ground and fighting for my religion, as stones are being pelted at us,” the son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane added.
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan responded sharply with a post on X, saying, “Dogs bark, but the lion does not care. Rane asked to remove the police for 24 hours. I want to ask him what he would do in those 24 hours. If I had said the same thing, I would be in jail right now.”
Pathan further criticised the Maharashtra government for not acting against Rane, pointing out that under Supreme Court guidelines, his speech could be considered provocative. “According to SC guidelines, this is provocative speech, but Maharashtra government will not take any action on it. The government wants to incite communal violence before Maharashtra elections,” Pathan claimed.
He also took aim at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for failing to take steps to control Rane.
Last week, during a visit to Ganesh Pandal, Rane asked the realty brokers to take an oath “not to deal with non-Hindus” and to check Aadhaar cards before making any deal. “We should only care for Hindus,” Rane can be heard saying in a viral video.
Earlier this month, while supporting Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj at the Sakal Hindu Samaj Andolan in Ahmednagar, Rane made similarly incendiary remarks. He said, “If you speak against our Ramgiri Maharaj… they will say I spoke in Marathi, so I am threatening you in the language you understand. If you say anything against our Ramgiri Maharaj, we will come into your mosques and beat you up one by one. Keep this in mind.”
Pathan had warned that “if he (Nitesh) dares to enter a mosque as he claims, he won’t be able to walk out on his own and will have to be carried on a stretcher.”
Two FIRs have since been filed against Rane for delivering inflammatory speeches at separate events in Ahmednagar, but he wasn’t arrested.
NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said that if Rane does not stop, he will take the matter to Delhi. “We do not support such language and we strongly oppose it. This kind of objectionable language creates rift in society,” Pawar said.
Rane, however, brushed off these threats, stating that Pawar could “complain to whomever he wants,” reiterating that Hindutva is non-negotiable. He will speak out against those who attacked Ganesh processions.
As per reports, 15 persons were arrested for allegedly throwing stones at a Ganesh procession in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The incident, which took place during the festival’s final day, left three women and two men injured in the Pundaliknagar area.
Pathan urged the police to act properly and avoid random arrests, alleging that these incidents are part of a “conspiracy” by the BJP-RSS to disrupt social harmony ahead of the elections.
