Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane has sparked a major controversy by calling Kerala a "mini Pakistan" and stating "all terrorists vote for Gandhis," a reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad.
Speaking at a rally in Purandar tehsil of Pune district on Sunday, the BJP minister said, "Kerala is mini Pakistan. Terrorists (earlier) voted for Rahul Gandhi and now for his sister Priyanka Gandhi." Facing sharp criticism from opposition parties for his comments, Nitesh Rane on Monday maintained Kerala is very much part of India and he is merely raising issues of religious conversion of Hindus and "love jihad" in the southern state.
Rahul Gandhi won from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala in 2019 and again in 2024 along with Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh 6 months ago. He retained Rae Bareli and vacated Wayanad, which was won by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a bye-election last month. The opposition Congress hit out at Nitesh Rane, the son of BJP Lok Sabha member and former Union minister Narayan Rane, for his remarks.
Atul Londhe, chief spokesperson of the Maharashtra Congress, said, "Nitesh Rane, who became a minister after taking oath to uphold the unity and integrity of the country, refers to Kerala as 'India's Pakistan' and labels those who vote for the Congress and other opposition parties as 'terrorists'. Should such a person remain in the cabinet? The BJP, which claims to prioritise the nation over everything else, must provide a clear explanation." Londhe claimed Nitesh Rane's comments have harmed Maharashtra's reputation.
He noted that newly released statistics show BJP-ruled Maharashtra's individual spending levels are now comparable to those of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and questioned Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the figures. In contrast, non-BJP-ruled states like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh (where the saffron party is an ally of ruling TDP), and Telangana are leading significantly in terms of individual spending, he emphasised.
"The BJP's promotion of communalism and hatred in Maharashtra has led to this situation, prompting the question: Where my Maharashtra is being taken?" Londhe asked. He expressed concern over rising unemployment, inflation, inadequate prices for agricultural produce, caste-based conflicts, Hindu-Muslim tensions, and "increasing" incidents of murder and rape in Maharashtra.
Londhe attributed these issues to the BJP's divisive politics and asked the BJP and Fadnavis to clarify their position on them. Facing backlash from the opposition for his controversial remarks, Nitesh Rane sought to defend himself.
"Kerala is very much a part of our country. The declining population of Hindus is something that everyone should worry about. Religious conversion of Hindus into Christians and Muslims is becoming an everyday thing there. Love jihad cases are also increasing there (in Kerala)," he claimed. The term love jihad refers to allege that Muslim men convert Hindu women through marriages.
The state minister insisted he was talking about protection of Hindus in the country. "I was comparing the situation with the way Hindus are treated in Pakistan. If a similar situation arises in Kerala, then we have to think about it. We want our Hindu Rashtra to remain Hindu Rashtra, and Hindus should be protected in every way... I was just stating the facts so everyone knows the situation. Whatever I said is based on facts... Let the opposition, the Congress prove me wrong," he said defiantly.
