navneet rana ravi rana mumbai police hanuman chalisaAmravati MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana (Express File)
The decision of MP Navneet Rana and husband MLA Ravi Rana to chant the Hanuman Chalisa at a temple in Nagpur on Saturday has not gone down well with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) members in the city, who have now declared that they too will do the same at the same temple.
The Pashchimeshwar temple of Lord Hanuman is located in Ram Nagar area of Nagpur. The temple draws huge crowds on Saturday with 8,000-10,000 devotees visiting to pray.
Two weeks ago, the Ranas performed a maha aarti at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place. The couple’s decision to chant the Hanuman Chalisa campaign in different parts of Maharashtra has evoked sharp reactions across parties.
“We have not committed any crime. We are only reciting Hanuman Chalisa in a temple. Why should anybody object? Is worshiping or offering prayers a crime in Maharashtra?” asked Ravi.
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A priest associated with the Nagpur temple for 20 years said that he was not aware of any plans to chant the Hanuman Chalisa there.
Another member of the temple management said, “A temple is a public place. Anybody can walk in and worship or chant Hanuman Chalisa. The doors are wide open. This is not the place for politics. Thousands of devotees throng the temple to worship every day.”
Last month, the Ranas had threatened to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the private residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Bandra East, following which Shiv Sena activists had protested on the streets.
Later, the Ranas withdrew their decision and, instead, chanted the Hanuman Chalisa at their own residence at Khar in Mumbai, but they were arrested and lodged in prison for 14 days before being released on bail.
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