MLAs must promote harmony and unity among all citizens, not divide them along religious lines

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane urged Palghar Hindus to vote for his party for safety, alleging that voting for the INDI and MVA alliances supports "love jihad" and "land jihad." He criticized the Congress for aligning with Pakistan and questioned Lord Ram's existence. Rane emphasized the importance of voting for the BJP, which also governs the state, to accelerate development. The BJP's Hemant Savara faces Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Bharti Kamdi and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi's Rajesh Patil in the Palghar polls on May 20.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nitesh Rane on Saturday said Hindus in Palghar must vote for the party that will ensure their safety and asserted opting for the opposition INDI and MVA alliances was a ''vote for love jihad and land jihad''.

Addressing a press conference, the Kankavli MLA attacked the Congress and claimed it was speaking the language of Pakistan in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

''Hindus are ready to take revenge for the brutal way sadhus were killed here,'' he said in a reference to the April 16, 2020 incident in Gadchinchle village where two sadhus and their driver was lynched by a mob amid the coronavirus lockdown while they were travelling in a car from Mumbai to Surat.

''Hindus in Palghar must vote for the party that will ensure their safety. If they vote for anyone else, then there is sure to be danger ahead,'' said Rane, who is the BJP's joint observer for Palghar (ST) Lok Sabha seat.

Attacking Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and the Congress, he said, ''Voting for the opposition INDI alliance and Maha Vikas Aghadi is a vote for love jihad and land jihad. The Congress speaks the language of Pakistan. It even questioned the existence of Lord Ram.'' Asked about issues pertaining to Palghar, Rane said he would need time to answer with technical details, but asserted that voting for the candidates from the same party ruling in the state and at the Centre would speed up development.

The BJP has fielded Hemant Savara, son of former state minister late Vishnu Savara, from Palghar. He will take on Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Bharti Kamdi and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi's Rajesh Patil. Polls will be held on May 20.