Amruta Fadnavis bats for inclusive festivals amid Nitesh Rane's remarks on Muslims

Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has said festivals are meant to be inclusive and that there is nothing wrong with Muslims attending Navratri celebrations, countering BJP leader Nitesh Rane’s support for the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s call to bar Muslims from such events.

The VHP last week announced that Muslims would not be allowed to enter ‘garba’ and ‘dandiya’ venues across Maharashtra during Navratri, which begins on October 11.

Rane, a state minister, backed the VHP’s stance on Monday, alleging that cases of “love jihad” increase during such festivals. He also said that people who do not follow idol worship should not participate in Hindu religious events.

Asked about Rane’s remarks, Fadnavis said she believed festivals should be open to everyone.

“If a Muslim person also comes there and enjoys the festival properly, I do not see anything wrong in it,” she told reporters.

The VHP has issued guidelines to organisers asking them to verify participants’ identities at Navratri ‘garba’ and ‘dandiya’ events. The guidelines reportedly include checking Aadhaar cards and applying ‘tilak’ to participants’ foreheads.

Rane has also called for identity checks and suggested that attendees should recite the Hanuman Chalisa before being allowed to enter.

‘Love jihad’ is a term used by right-wing activists to allege that Muslim men deliberately enter relationships with Hindu women with the intention of converting them to Islam.

(With inputs from PTI)