Nitesh Rane's remarks stir backlash again: Loose cannon in Maharashtra BJP?

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane

There are a few leaders in Indian politics who are often in the news for their quirky or controversial utterances. Digvijay Singh of the Congress and Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT) are a few examples. Maharashtra BJP leader Nitesh Rane, who recently became a minister in Devendra Fadnavis' cabinet, has joined the list of motormouth leaders. His recent statement calling Kerala a "Mini Pakistan" has led to an uproar in state politics.

Nitesh Rane is unapologetic about his statement, in which he claimed that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra win from Kerala because terrorists vote for them and the state has become a "Mini Pakistan." After facing backlash from the opposition and a lack of support from his party colleagues, Rane defended his statement by expressing concerns about the diminishing Hindu population and cases of religious conversions in Kerala.

This is not the first time that Nitesh, the younger son of BJP MP Narayan Rane, has made a communally provocative speech. During the assembly election campaign, he threatened to beat up members of a minority community by entering their places of worship. Although two criminal cases were filed against him, no coercive action was taken. Viral videos have shown Nitesh assuring his supporters not to worry, saying, "Boss (Fadnavis) is sitting in the Sagar bungalow." Fadnavis, who was the Home Minister in Eknath Shinde's government, continues to hold the portfolio now as the Deputy Chief Minister.

In 2020, Nitesh Rane made a sensational claim that actor Sushant Singh Rajput didn't commit suicide but was murdered at the behest of a minister in Uddhav Thackeray's government, whom he referred to as "Penguin." Nitesh asserted that he had evidence to support his claim. However, he has neither publicly disclosed the "evidence" nor has the CBI summoned him regarding the matter. The CBI completed its investigation two years ago, and no murder case has been registered in Sushant's death. It remains a case of suicide, which the Mumbai Police had initially registered as an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in June 2020.

Given Nitesh Rane's penchant for letting his tongue get the better of him, the BJP put him to good use two years ago. Every morning, Sanjay Raut, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, would address the press outside his residence, making bitter remarks against the BJP and Fadnavis. Nitesh was tasked with responding to Raut in a similar tone, targeting Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya in return.

Nitesh joined the BJP following his father, Narayan Rane, who resigned from the Congress around a decade ago. His elder brother, Nilesh Rane, is also an MLA belonging to Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.