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.”
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.