Post Nitesh Rane controversy, Ajit Pawar advices ‘all leaders’ to show restraint

Mumbai:Rift in the ruling Mahayuti government has again come to fore as Deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Wednesday asked BJP minister Nitesh Rane to show restraint and ensure that statements in public do not cause a communal rift.

“Whether from the ruling or opposition side, leaders must refrain from making statements that could create a law-and-order situation. There are many Muslims in our country who are patriotic,” Pawar said in Karad on Wednesday.

The NCP leader’s remarks have come on the backdrop of Rane’s controversial claims that Muslims were not part of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army. Calling Rane’s statement ‘misleading,’ Pawar said historians have shown that members of the Muslim community were indeed part of Shivaji Maharaj’s forces.

“Historians, after intensive research, have proven that Muslims were indeed part of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s army. While founding a sovereign state, Shivaji Maharaj never discriminated against any one on the basis of caste or creed. Who was in charge of Shivaji Maharaj's ammunition department? He was a Muslim. Several such examples can be given. Muslims in India are patriotic,” Pawar said.

Rane has already stoked controversy by supporting the jhatka meat suppliers in Maharashtra to counter the Halal meat. He has launched a certification called ‘Malhar Certificate,’ under which only Hindus are allowed to sell meat.

“Some individuals, from both sides of the political divide, sometimes make statements that are detrimental to Maharashtra's rich cultural heritage. In the past, leaders in the state have always strived to maintain communal harmony, ensuring that different communities coexist peacefully,” the Maharashtra deputy chief minister said.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshavardhan Sapkal alleged that the BJP is disrupting Maharashtra’s social harmony. “Nitesh Rane is openly dictating from whom people should or should not buy meat. Who gave him the authority to decide what someone should eat or from whom they should purchase? Whether it is Halal, Jhatka, or anything else, that decision lies with the people, not with the minister,” he said.

Sapkal further stated that Rane lacks knowledge, understanding, and depth, and is merely exploiting his proximity to power. His sole objective is to spread hatred in society, the Congress leader said.