Nitesh Rane, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Maharashtra Nitish Rane on Sunday, September 1 allegedly vowed to invade mosques and kill Muslims.
The saffron party leader made the remarks during a rally in Ahmednagar in support of Ramgiri Maharaj, the seer who delivered a defamatory speech against Prophet Muhammad in August.
The remarks were made recently by Ramgiri Maharaj at Shah Panchale village in Sinnar taluka of Nashik district during a religious event a video of which went viral on social media, police said.
Amid the row over his comments, chief minister Eknath Shinde shared the dais with the religious leader during an event in Nashik district on Friday and called him a “saint”. On the other hand, minister Girish Mahajan and former Ahmednagar MP Sujay Vikhe Patil touched his feet on stage.
Speaking at the function, Ramgiri Maharaj, the mahant of Sarla Bet Dham in Shrirampur taluka of Ahmednagar district, defended his controversial remarks, saying that they were in response to the atrocities being committed against Hindus in Bangladesh and that his objective was to unite members of the Hindu community.
Speaking to Marathi news channel ABP Majha on the controversy surrounding his statement earlier in the day, he said, “Hindus should remain alert. I have spoken what I wanted to. I am firm on it and I am ready to face its consequences.”
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Imtiaz Jaleel claimed that Ramgiri Maharaj’s comments were part of a political conspiracy and demanded strong action against him.
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