CM snubs Nitesh Rane over inflammatory speeches

On Monday, Rane had expressed solidarity with Hindutva organisations pushing for razing of emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Around a week ago, he launched an online platform that promotes the sale of meat exclusively sourced from Hindu butchers.

MUMBAI: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis censured his cabinet colleague and fisheries minister Nitesh Rane on Wednesday, over his recent provocative statements against the minority community. Advising him to exercise restraint, Fadnavis said “ministers need to follow ‘Rajdharma’ propagated by former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, and keep aside personal likes and dislikes”.

Mumbai, India - July 18, 2016: Narayan Rane and Nitesh Rane at Monsoon Assembly in Mumbai, India, on Monday, July 18, 2016. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

On Monday, Rane had expressed solidarity with Hindutva organisations pushing for razing of emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Around a week ago, he launched an online platform that promotes the sale of meat exclusively sourced from Hindu butchers – the initiative was positioned as an alternative to Halal-certified products. In September 2024, Rane held public meetings in Shrirampur and Topkhana areas of Ahilyanagar, in support or Hindu seer Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, who had made derogatory remarks about Islam and Prophet Muhammad. Rane warned of repercussions if the Maharaj was harmed.

Amid uproar in the state legislature over the last two days following riots in Nagpur, at the Lokmat Awards function held at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil asked the CM to respond to Rane’s “explosive language that leads to hatred”, in the presence of Governor CP Radhakrishnan.

At the state Assembly, Fadnavis said, “Sometimes young ministers lose their control, but I hold dialogue with them.”

On Tuesday, Congress leaders staged a protest on the steps of the Assembly demanding Rane’s ouster, with the party’s leader Vijay Wadettiwar saying that provocative and absurd statements by the minister had led to hatred between two communities and incited conflict. He said that the violence in Nagpur “was also the result of these inflammatory statements and the minister should be removed”.

He reiterated his stand on Wednesday. “Why has the CM not been able to tame his minister who has been igniting anti-Muslim sentiments. He has called Kerala mini-Pakistan, and also threatened a repetition of Babri masjid of the Aurangzeb’s tomb was not removed.”

While there are reports that Fadnavis expressed his displeasure to Rane during their meeting on Tuesday, Rane refuted them and told reporters outside the state assembly he was “one of Fadnavis’s favourite ministers”.