The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday distanced itself from its Maharashtra MLA Nitesh Rane's threat to Muslim community to hit them by entering mosques.
Speaking to India Today, the party spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said such remarks have no space in public life and should never be uttered by any politician. “Two FIRs have been filed and it's a matter of time before the law catches up," Tuhin Sinha added.
While being critical of Nitesh Rane, the BJP spokesperson alleged that the Congress party displays “obnoxious selectivity” in its stance on the alleged crimes against the Hindu community.
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He asked whether sitting Congress MLA in Telangana Rashed Khan Feroz Khan have been removed for allegedly issuing a bounty, each of ₹50 lakh and ₹25 lakh respectively, for the head of Wasim Rizvi when he converted to Hinduism in 2021. “Have they been removed? Maulana Tauqeer Raza made a statement to the effect that he will annihilate Hindus before the Uttarakhand assembly election. He was immediately lapped up by the Congress and the party went into an alliance with them. So, I think this selectivism needs to stop," India Today quoted Sinha as saying.
What did Nitesh Rane say?
Addressing public meetings in support of Hindu seer Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj on Sunday in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, Nitesh Rane threatened to hit Muslims by entering their mosques if the seer is harmed. The self-proclaimed seer was himself in news last month for his derogatory comments on Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
{{/usCountry}}Addressing public meetings in support of Hindu seer Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj on Sunday in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, Nitesh Rane threatened to hit Muslims by entering their mosques if the seer is harmed. The self-proclaimed seer was himself in news last month for his derogatory comments on Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
{{/usCountry}}Video of Nitesh Rane's speech with remarks, “We will enter your mosques and hit you one by one. Keep this in mind”, went viral, prompting the police to register an FIR.
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An official told news agency PTI that two FIRs have been registered against Nitesh Rane at Shrirampur and Topkhana police stations, around 260km from Mumbai, for criminal intimidation, intentionally insulting to breach peace and hurting religious sentiments.
Son of former Union minister Narayan Rane, Nitesh is not new to controversies over religion. He was booked earlier this year for making hate speeches in Malvani, Mankhurd and Ghatkopar areas of Mumbai.
Reacting to his son's hate speech, Narayan Rane had said, "There is no need to drag any religion but only those who are guilty of it. Not all Muslims are guilty of this, so don't drag the entire community. I have reprimanded him".
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Opposition reacts
AIMIM party spokesperson Waris Pathen asked Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to arrest the BJP MLA.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also slammed the BJP for Nitesh Rane's remarks, and alleged that the saffron party wants to engineer riots in the state to communalise the electorate ahead of assembly polls.
A delegation of Mumbai Congress leaders led by its president Varsha Gaikwad met police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and sought action against the Kankavli MLA and other BJP leaders for making provocative statements. The Congress delegation also demanded that the police security of Nitesh Rane and other BJP leaders be withdrawn.
(With PTI inputs)