Hanuman Chalisa row: Dharmendra Pradhan slams MVA as 'people with oversized egos...'

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has reacted to the arrest of independent leaders Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana in the wake of the Hanuman Chalisa row in Maharashtra. Taking to Twitter, the BJP leader has drawn a comparison of the current political furore in Maharastra to the 'Jai Shri Ram' row in West Bengal. He slammed the current Shiv Sena administration for 'the lust and longing for power' and stated that Maharashtra has gone the Bengal way to 'settle political scores'. The Minister also added that people with 'oversized egos' often lose sight of the bigger picture. 

Dharmendra Pradhan wrote, "Jail for Jai Shri Ram in Didi’s Bengal and Jail for #HanumanChalisa in Maharashtra under the MVA. Such is the lust and longing for power that even the most unabashed supporters of Hindutva are now terrified of Hanuman Chalisa."

"People with oversized egos often lose sight of the bigger picture. Dragging the BJP into the controversy, sedition charges, judicial custody for opponents reflects the insecurities and trepidation of the MVA. Maharashtra has gone the Bengal way to settle political scores," he added in his following tweet. 

Rana couple sent to judicial custody

On Sunday, the Bandra court's holiday bench rejected the police's remand application, however, ruled in favour of the judicial custody of Independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana. Though the latter applied for bail, the Magistrate court has asked the police to file its response on April 27 whereas the hearing on this application will take place on April 29. The Rana couple was arrested by the Mumbai Police on Saturday, despite taking back their decision to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree'. Navneet and Ravi Rana have been taken to the Byculla Jail and the Taloja Jail respectively. 

Furthermore, Shiv Sena, justifying the Rana couple's arrest, has alleged that they wanted to create a law and order situation. In an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana earlier today, Executive Editor Sanjay Raut also claimed that the couple had publicly opposed Lord Ram and Hindutva. To buttress his point, he recalled that Navneet Rana had opposed those who chanted the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan when Lok Sabha MPs took oath in 2019. He also contended that Kirit Somaiya and the Amravati MP had been granted security by the Centre as they spoke against the MVA government. 

He added, "If they wanted to organise a Hanuman Chalisa event at the national level, they should have recited Hanuman Chalisa in front of the residence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and PM Modi and the Union Home Minister. Hindutva is raging in Maharashtra. Because Uddhav Thackeray is leading the state. Secondly, there is no ban on reciting Hanuman Chalisa in the state." 

On Monday, the Rana couple had moved the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of the second FIR lodged against them, but their petition was dismissed.