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Journalism of Courage
As Nagpur remains on the edge over communal tension amid calls for the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to be razed, one of the figures from the ruling Mahayuti coalition in focus for his remarks is Cabinet Minister Nitesh Rane.
Even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called for restraint and said that the violence in Nagpur on Monday over rumours that a holy book had been desecrated during a protest seeking the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb seemed like a “planned incident”, Rane expressed solidarity with Hindutva organisations pushing for the razing for the tomb in Khuldabad, located 24 km northwest of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly, Aurangabad).
“There are strong sentiments within Hindus that all the signs that remind us of the Mughal emperor’s cruelty against our kings Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj should be wiped out,” Rane said after paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Shivneri Fort in Pune on Monday, the birth anniversary of the Maratha king as per the Hindu almanack. “While the government will do its job, Hindutva organisations should do their job. After all, when Babri Masjid was demolished we did not sit and discuss with each other. Our kar sevaks did what was appropriate.”
This is not the first time that 42-year-old Rane, the younger son of former CM and current Ratnagiri–Sindhudurg MP Narayan Rane, has found himself at the centre of a controversy linked to Aurangazeb. Rane is known for his hardline Hindutva politics and is a popular leader among Sangh Parivar outfits such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal for his anti-minority remarks.
In June 2023, Rane received backlash from the Opposition after he described Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Sharad Pawar as a reincarnation of Aurangzeb after the veteran leader targeted the Mahayuti government over growing communal tension. A couple of months later, Rane demanded in the Assembly that a Special Investigation Team be formed to probe communal incidents in some parts of the state after a few youths allegedly used the picture of Aurangzeb as their status photo on social media.
During the ongoing Budget Session, Rane stirred a row by claiming that “Shivaji Maharaj’s army did not have any Muslims” and objecting to those calling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj a “secular king”. He added, “Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of Hindvi Swarajya. His identity of Hindutva cannot be diluted. Those trying to attribute the secular term are trying to distort the warrior king’s identity.”
Explaining why the top BJP leadership had not yet reined in Rane, a senior party functionary said, “In politics, we have to adopt multiple strategies. When Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and his leaders use the same language nobody criticises them just because they are anti-BJP. So, we have Congress-turned-BJP firebrand Nitesh Rane speaking the same language and addressing sizeable segments of hardliners.”
After completing his higher education in the UK, Rane returned to the country and joined the Congress along with his father in 2006. He was appointed general secretary of the Mumbai Youth Congress but resigned from the post the following year over differences with local party leaders. He was elected to the Assembly for the first time in 2014 from Kankavli in Sindhudurg district and facing re-election five years later, switched to the BJP.
Before he joined the Maharashtra Cabinet, Rane steered the Sakal Hindu Samaj, an umbrella organisation of all right-wing outfits, to campaign against “love jihad and land jihad”. Hindu right-wing outfits use the term “love jihad” to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage. Similarly, “land jihad” refers to a conspiracy theory about members of the minority community grabbing land belonging to Hindus to build their places of worship.
Last September, Rane was booked for hate speech following his address in at least two public rallies in Ahmednagar district. “If anybody dares to speak against our religious leader Ramgiri Maharaj, we will enter the mosques and hit them one by one,” he said at one of the public events. In another, he urged the police to “take rest on Friday, we will then show them (Muslims) our might”. At the time, Ramgiri Maharaj was facing a slew of FIRs across the state over alleged derogatory remarks about the Prophet.
In December, Rane triggered a row when he referred to Kerala as “mini Pakistan” but later backtracked, saying he did not mean it and that Kerala was “very much a part of India”. Last month, he was again in the news when he said Opposition MLAs would not receive a single penny from development funds. At an event in Oras in Sindhudurg district, he said, “Those who are against BJP and Mahayuti will not get a penny from Development funds. I have asked my people to make a list of such villages. If anybody wants development funds, should join the BJP.”
Earlier this month, Rane questioned the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Ahilyanagar in Ahmednagar district over his decision to stay a resolution of a village banning Muslim traders from the annual Madhi Chi Yatra. “The BDO should remember that a Hindutva sarkar is in power in Maharashtra. Though the resolution passed by the Madhi gram panchayat has been stayed by the BDO, I urge the villages to again pass the resolution. If all villagers sign the resolution, then how will the BDO reject it?” he said.
Last week, Rane again faced Opposition criticism after announcing an initiative to issue Malhar certification to jhatka mutton shops that he said will “help Hindus identify mutton shops owned by people from the community”. “Jhatka” meat is prepared by slaughtering the animal with a single, painless blow as per Hindu traditions.
