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Amend Ladki Bahin To Exclude Muslim Beneficiaries: BJP MLA Nitesh Rane

Nitesh Rane was earlier booked for hate speech against Muslims in Maharashtra, four times. Since joining the BJP in 2019 after quitting Congress, he has raked up an anti-Muslim agenda and made inflammatory remarks threatening the genocide of Muslims.

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Maharashtra government’s flagship Ladki Bahin (beloved sister) scheme has yet again triggered a fresh controversy.

A video clip circulated on social media, showed BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, son of Union Minister Narayan Rane, calling for their exclusion from seeking state benefits. Speaking at an event on justice for Bangladeshi Hindus in his native Konkan, Sindhudurg district, Rane said he would request newly appointed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to amend the qualification criteria of the Ladki Bahin scheme. “The scheme should be given to only those who have two children. Otherwise, these people will stay with us, take benefits of our schemes and on the day of voting declare, we want Islam (sic).”

Rane was speaking about violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and Pakistan and comparing minorities in India. “They are targeted and assaulted…in Pakistan, they are given two options, either accept Islam or get killed. But in our country, they (minorities) are pampered. We bring so many initiatives for them…like Maulana Azad (minorities financial development corporation). They take advantage of all government schemes. If you check the list of beneficiaries of Ladki Bahin, you will find how many of these are with more than two children.”

He was earlier booked for hate speech against Muslims in Maharashtra, four times. Since joining the BJP in 2019 after quitting Congress, he has raked up an anti-Muslim agenda and made inflammatory remarks threatening the genocide of Muslims. BJP has so far turned a blind eye against Rane and let him loose to cause communal fracas like in the Mira Road riot case in Mumbai and the demolition of Muslim houses in Kolhapur.

The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana provides a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to women from marginalised backgrounds. The welfare scheme, emulated on the BJP government’s Ladli Behena scheme in Madhya Pradesh, has benefited 2.34 crore women. Its phenomenal success was deemed to be a major factor in increasing female voter turnout, and helping the BJP-led Mahayuti government to win the assembly elections held in November.

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The Mahayuti alliance has promised voters to increase the allowance to Rs 2100 if it came to power. To ensure the benefits reach the maximum number of women, the erstwhile CM Eknath Shinde government extended the enrollment deadline twice and endorsed applications in bulk. CM Fadnavis has now hinted the government will strictly scrutinise the list of beneficiaries so that socio-economically backward and only eligible candidates, get the benefit. The Ladki Bahin scheme along with a slew of populist measures, launched ahead of the polls, are expected to cost the government exchequer exceeding Rs 90,000 crore annually. The state government is grappling with a heavy debt burden of Rs 7.11 lakh crore with a projected fiscal deficit is Rs.1,10,355 crore. It is

unclear whether and how the government will continue to dole out the increased cash transfers over the next five years.

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