Opposition leaders on Monday criticised Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane over his controversial remarks, saying that Rane just wants to create animosity and spread hatred between the two communities.

Rane had reportedly made the controversial remarks while addressing a gathering, claiming that Hindus should purchase items only from Hindu-owned shops during festivals. He also allegedly said that Muslim vendors should not be allowed to participate in the Nashik Kumbh Mela.

Speaking to media on the matter, RJD MLA Bhai Virendra said, “I know Rane’s father, who was a former Congress leader. “

RJD MLA Bhai Virendra said, “Some people are opportunists who would switch parties at any time to get a position in the cabinet. They don’t have any original thoughts. They only work to spread riots and communal hatred in the country,” Virendra said.

He added that those who incite people through their words also suffer the consequences of the violence caused by them.

Virendra said Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs had fought together for the country’s freedom, stressing that India is a secular nation and not a Hindu nation.

He also demanded that Rane withdraw his statement and apologise to the people.

Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar also criticised Rane, saying that as a minister, he should be aware of the Constitution and remember the oath he had taken.

“Being a minister, he should be aware of the Constitution. He should remember that he took an oath. He is there just to incite animosity between the two religions. This is RSS and BJP’s scheme,” Wadettiwar said.

“Are they caretakers of Hindus? It has become their job to create differences between the two religions,” he added.

Senior Congress leader and former MP Hussain Dalwai said Rane had no role in taking such decisions.

“The Chief Minister is responsible for taking these decisions. He is not. Men like him can only create animosity between the two religions,” Dalwai said.

He also dismissed the possibility of Rane’s remarks influencing people’s purchasing decisions.

“People are not going to follow this. Only those items will be sold that are of quality and cost-effective. People are not going to see whether the shopkeeper is Hindu or Muslim. Thinking that this statement will have an impact is wrong,” he added.

Rane reportedly claimed that money spent on purchasing goods from Muslims would be used to support extremism.

He further said that Hindus should interact only with other Hindus, adding that when Muslims celebrate religious festivals, Hindus would not be allowed to participate in them.

The remarks have drawn criticism from opposition leaders, who accused Rane of promoting communal divisions and called on him to withdraw his statements.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday staged a protest outside the Congress office in Ranchi against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s alleged objectionable remark related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s father.

The demonstration was led by Jharkhand BJP chief Aditya Sahu and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Babulal Marandi.

BJP workers marched to the Congress office and demanded an apology from Kharge. The situation turned tense for some time as workers of both the BJP and Congress came face-to-face outside the party office.

Anticipating unrest, the district administration had deployed heavy security in the area, with police personnel stationed in large numbers and barricades set up around the premises.

Protesters attempted to cross the barricades and move towards the Congress office, leading to heated arguments between the police and BJP workers.

Carrying party flags and placards, the protesters called for an end to what they described as disrespectful remarks against the Prime Minister and urged political leaders to maintain decorum in public discourse.

The protesters raised slogans against the Congress and Kharge, demanding an apology to the Prime Minister.

On the other hand, Congress workers present there also responded with slogans against the BJP. Some workers were seen climbing barricades to register their protest. Police promptly removed them from there, preventing any untoward incident.

Speaking during the protest, Babulal Marandi alleged that Congress leaders had repeatedly made objectionable statements against Prime Minister Modi and had now extended such comments to his parents.

He said political differences should be expressed within the bounds of decorum and civility.

The BJP has called for nationwide demonstrations and gheraos of Congress offices over the controversy. The Ranchi protest was part of that campaign.

Despite the heavy police deployment, workers from both parties remained steadfast in their respective demonstrations throughout the event.

Shiv Sena-UBT and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders on Monday criticised the remarks made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge during a programme in Patna, even as they questioned the standards of political discourse and called for greater restraint in the language used by political leaders.

The controversy erupted following Kharge’s address at a Congress event in Patna on Sunday, organised to mark the birth anniversary of Bihar’s first Chief Minister, Sri Krishna Singh. During the programme, a person in the audience reportedly interrupted Kharge, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not leave power.

Responding to the interruption, Kharge said, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega” (Even Modi’s father will have to go). The Congress President reportedly repeated the remark several times, triggering a political controversy and drawing criticism over the language used while referring to the Prime Minister.

Reacting to the controversy, Shiv Sena-UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the continuously declining standard of language in political discourse was unfortunate.

Speaking to media, Chaturvedi said: “The continuously declining standard of language used by everyone in politics is unfortunate. But at the same time, what are the pressing issues in the country today? The country’s issues are inflation, corruption, vote theft, and many challenges faced by the youth that are being ignored. This is once again an issue meant to distract attention.”

She expressed hope that political parties would exercise restraint while making statements and expressing their views, stressing that family members who had no role in politics should not be dragged into political disputes.

“I would repeat that dragging mothers, fathers, sisters, daughters, or children, who have nothing to do with politics, into political matters is completely wrong,” she said.

Meanwhile, RJD MP Manoj Jha also criticised the use of such language but questioned what he described as selective outrage over controversial remarks made by political leaders.

Speaking to media, Jha said: “No one can support this kind of language. I am observing the outrage, but why is this outrage so selective? When remarks such as ‘Congress ki vidhwa’, ‘Jersey cow’, references to the ‘mangalsutra’, ‘they will take away your buffaloes’, and ‘they will perform mujra’ are made, should there not be outrage or anger then?”

Jha said he had already submitted a written request in Parliament for a discussion on the standards of language used by both the ruling party and the Opposition.

“I am saying it again today through you: there should be a two-day discussion in Parliament on what the dignity and standards of language used by both the ruling party and the Opposition should be. It cannot be that there is outrage today and silence tomorrow. That does not seem right,” he said.

Referring to what he described as a “pretence of purification” staged against Kharge himself in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, he said he had not witnessed similar outrage on that occasion.

“When a pretence of purification was staged against Kharge himself, I did not see this outrage. This is not appropriate,” the RJD MP said.