Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane on Friday said Hindus should ask the religion of shopkeepers before buying anything from them, controversial remarks coming in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Heavily-armed terrorists struck a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on April 22, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists from other states.
According to some of the survivors, terrorists asked the name and religion of male tourists before shooting them. The survivors also said the terrorists asked some of the tourists to recite the 'kalma' (an Islamic declaration of faith), and those who failed to do so were shot dead.
Addressing a gathering in Ratnagiri district's Dapoli town, Minister Rane said, "They asked our religion before killing us. So, Hindus must also ask about their religion before buying anything. If they are asking about your religion and killing you, then you should also ask about their religion before shopping or buying anything. Hindu 'sangathans' (organisations) should raise such a demand." Chances are, some shopkeepers will not tell their religion or will just lie about their faith, the BJP leader said.
"Whenever you go shopping, ask about their religion. If they say they are Hindus, then tell them to recite Hanuman Chalisa. If they don't know how to recite Hanuman Chalisa (a devotional hymn in praise of Lord Hanuman), then don't buy anything from them," he told the crowd.
Referring to Aurangzeb, Mr Rane maintained the Mughal emperor did not spare even his father and brother.
"Look at Aurangzeb. He did not respect even his father and brother. If he did not respect his father and brother, then how can they respect you people?" he asked.
"If they are behaving this way about religion, then why should we buy things from them and make them rich? You people will have to take a pledge that whenever you make any purchase, you should buy it only from a Hindu," Rane told the gathering.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
