Maharashtra’s Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane of the BJP stated on Friday that EVM means “Every Vote Against Mullah” while speaking at a Hindu Garjana Sabha rally in the Sangli district of the state.

“I have been elected as an MLA on the votes of Hindus. The opposition is making noise in the name of EVM. They cannot digest how the entire Hindu community came together as Hindus and voted for me. They are blaming EVM. These people do not understand the full form of EVM. They do not understand the thought behind how the Hindu community voted. EVM means ‘Every Vote Against Mullah’. So it is true that I got elected because of EVM. As Hindus, our position and thoughts must be clear. We do not kick anyone in the stomach, and so no one should kick us in the stomach. I became an MLA based on the votes of Hindus. I did not go to Muslim areas to seek votes. Our Hindu society woke up and so I became an MLA and a minister,” Nitesh Rane said.

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“It is a nation of Hindus, so the interests of Hindus will be looked after first here. It is our job to protect those Hindus who salute the tricolour and sing the national anthem. Hindus must have a place in this nation. If we have to think twice before performing aarti (puja), do we live in a Hindu nation? We will have to think about this,” Nitesh Rane said.

However, Rane’s statement was criticised by Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jitendra Awhad who said, “Nitesh Rane had taken his oath on the Constitution. Some people are kept only to create a Hindu-Muslim divide.”

It may be recalled that Rane faced a backlash after he made a statement about Kerala recently. On 29 December 2024, Rane had described Kerala as “mini Pakistan”, referring to Muslims who voted for Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi and her brother Rahul Gandhi in the Wayanad parliamentary constituency.

After facing backlash for his remarks on Kerala, Rane clarified that Kerala was indeed a part of India and that he had only compared the situation in Kerala to that in Pakistan.

“Kerala is very much a part of India. However, the decreasing population of Hindus is something everyone should worry about. The religious conversion of Hindus into Muslims and Christians (Islam and Christianity) has become an everyday affair there. Love jihad cases, where Hindu women are targeted, are also increasing there. I was comparing the situation (in Kerala) with Pakistan. The way Hindus are treated in Pakistan, if such situations happen in our very own country, we must take action against that. That is what I was trying to say in my speech,” Rane clarified after the backlash.