Maharashtra’s Minister for Ports and Fisheries Nitesh Rane of the ruling BJP referred to actor Saif Ali Khan as “garbage” on Thursday in a speech he delivered during a rally in Pune on Wednesday evening.

“Look at what Bangladeshis are doing in Mumbai. They entered Saif Ali Khan’s house. Earlier, they used to stand at the crossings of the roads. Now, they have started entering houses. Maybe he came to take him (Saif Ali Khan) away. It is good. Garbage should be taken away,” Rane said.

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Raising doubts over the attack on the actor, he asked if Saif was really stabbed, how come the actor was “dancing” after being discharged from Lilavati Hospital. “I saw when he came out of the hospital, I doubted whether he had been stabbed or he was acting. He was dancing while walking. Whenever any Khan like Shahrukh Khan or Saif Ali Khan gets hurt, everyone starts talking about it. When a Hindu actor like Sushant Singh Rajput is tortured, no one comes forward to say anything,” Rane said, attacking the Mahayuti opposition for its religious bias.”

“That Mumbra’s Jeetuddin (Sharad Pawar-led NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad) and Baramati’s Tai (Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule) did not come forward to say anything. They are only worried about Saif Ali Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s son, and Nawab Malik. Have you ever seen them worrying about any Hindu artist? You guys should pay attention to all these things,” Rane said at the rally.

It may be recalled that Rane’s remarks have come barely a day after Mahayuti partner Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam questioned actor Saif Ali Khan’s quick recovery after a video of the actor stepping out of a car and walking to his residential complex went viral on X, raising a controversy.

Sanjay Nirupam had tweeted a post on his X handle, “The doctor said that a 2.5-inch knife had entered Saif Ali Khan’s back. After going to the hospital, the knife embedded in his back was removed. The surgery lasted for six hours. How is Saif Ali Khan so fit after five days of treatment?” Sanjay Nirupam questioned.

Earlier, Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jitendra Awhad stirred a controversy by posting a tweet on X reading, “The attack on Saif Ali Khan could be part of a pre-planned conspiracy. Given the way Saif Ali Khan has been targeted for years for naming his son Taimur, is this attack by religious fundamentalists or what? This needs to be investigated. Preliminary information suggests that Saif Ali Khan was stabbed six times. Two of them are believed to be serious. One was on his neck. This has caused serious injury to his skull. Judging by the attacker’s method of stabbing, it is first apparent that the stabbing was done with the intention of killing. Saif Ali Khan is a recipient of the Padma Shri Award, which is considered the fourth highest honour in India, which is special”.