“Salman Khan is more Hindu than Uddhav Thackeray,” says BJP leader Nitesh Rane after RSS event

Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane triggered a fresh political controversy on Tuesday after making a sharp comparison between Bollywood actor Salman Khan and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, following Khan’s appearance at a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) programme in Mumbai.

Reacting to Salman Khan’s participation in the RSS Vyakhyanmala, Rane said the actor showed greater confidence in expressing Hindu identity than the former Maharashtra chief minister.

“Salman Khan has shown more courage in expressing Hindu values than Uddhav Thackeray. Even when standing with Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray does not have the courage to refer to his own father as Hindu Hriday Samrat,” Rane said, adding that this was why he believed the actor demonstrated “stronger Hindu values”.

Salman Khan attended the RSS Vyakhyanmala held in Mumbai on February 7 and 8. The event marked 100 years of the RSS and was themed ‘100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons’. Several prominent personalities from cinema, arts and public life were present, including actor Ranbir Kapoor, filmmaker Subhash Ghai and CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also addressed the gathering.

The programme soon became a flashpoint for political reactions. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray questioned the intent behind celebrities attending the event, suggesting that many participated due to fear of the Narendra Modi-led central government rather than admiration for the RSS leadership.

Responding to Raj Thackeray’s remarks, Rane hit back, asking why opposition leaders remained silent on other controversial incidents. He questioned the absence of reactions from Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray when an AIMIM corporator from Mumbra made provocative remarks after winning an election.

Meanwhile, during his address at the RSS event, Mohan Bhagwat spoke on issues such as religious conversions, illegal infiltration and population balance. He said forced or deceptive conversions were unacceptable and called for strong steps to identify illegal immigrants. Bhagwat also spoke about demographic balance, suggesting early marriages and larger families as one way to address declining birth rates.