Mumbai Independent Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana performed Maha Aarti and chanted Hanuman Chalisa at an ancient Hanuman temple at Connaught Place in New Delhi on Saturday morning.
In a padayatra amid heavy police force, the couple walked for a kilometre from their house to the temple along with their followers, who accompanied them with chants of Jai Shree Ram.
Ranas, who were arrested by Mumbai police under the charges of sedition and promoting enmity last month, blamed chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for the ‘worsening state of affairs’ in Maharashtra under his rule. Navneet said that she performed the aarti to pray for the welfare of the state and help it get ‘rid of’ the Thackeray government.
“I chanted Hanuman Chalisa 101 times every day during my 14-day stay in the jail. Shiv Sena has forgotten Hindutva which helped them come to power. The government does not have the courage to take action against people like Akbaruddin Owaisi of AIMIM, who has been paying respect to Aurangazeb at his tomb,” she said. She also dared Thackeray to chant Hanuman Chalisa at his rally in Mumbai on Saturday.
Replying to the detractors’ claim that the couple had the backing of Bhartiya Janata Party, Navneet said, “We have been elected as an independent and do not need backing from any party. The Thackeray government tried to suppress us, but they must have realised by now that it is not easy to do it with a woman,” she said.
The Ranas were arrested on April 23 by the Mumbai police after they announced that they will recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the family residence of Uddhav Thackeray in Bandra. They were later released on bail by a sessions court on May 4.
On Monday, the duo reached Delhi to meet Lok Sabha speaker and complain about the alleged ill-treatment meted out to Navneet while in custody. She is expected to record her statement before a privilege committee of the lower house on May 23.
Ranas were served notice by Mumbai police last month after they announced to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Thackeray’s residence on April 23.