'Nothing Wrong If Muslims Attend': Amruta Fadnavis Bats For Inclusive Garba Celebrations Amid Nitesh Rane's Remarks Around Love Jihad

Amruta Fadnavis said she sees nothing wrong with Muslims attending and properly enjoying Navratri festivities, backing an inclusive approach amid a row over entry restrictions. Her remarks followed Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane's support for VHP's call to restrict Muslim participation in garba events. VHP has also urged organisers to verify attendees' identities and check Aadhaar cards.

'Nothing Wrong If Muslims Attend': Amruta Fadnavis Bats For Inclusive Garba Celebrations Amid Nitesh Rane's Remarks Around Love Jihad |

Mumbai: Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has backed an inclusive approach to religious celebrations, saying she sees nothing wrong with Muslims attending Navratri festivities, amid a growing controversy over restrictions on their entry at garba and dandiya events.

#WATCH | Chandrapur, Maharashtra: On Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane backing VHP's call to bar Muslims from Navratri event, wife of CM Devendra Fadnavis & social worker Amruta Fadnavis says, "He must have said this after thinking something; I do not want to get into its depths.… pic.twitter.com/23VqzO2enT

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2026

Amruta Fadnavis Bats For Inclusive Celebrations

Reacting to Rane’s comments, Amruta Fadnavis said festivals should be welcoming and that she did not see an issue with people from different communities participating. “If a Muslim person also comes there and enjoys the festival properly, I do not see anything wrong in it,” she told reporters on Tuesday.

Her comments come against the backdrop of increasing political debate over who should be permitted to attend Hindu religious and cultural events.

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The remarks came after BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane supported the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) call to restrict Muslim participation in Navratri events across the state.

The VHP recently announced that Muslims would not be allowed entry to garba and dandiya venues during Navratri, which begins on October 11. The organisation has also issued guidelines urging event organisers to verify attendees’ identities and check Aadhaar cards before allowing them entry.

VIDEO | Mumbai: In an interview with PTI, Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane (@NiteshNRane) responds to VHP’s guidelines urging event organisers in the state to bar Muslims from Garba and Dandiya events during the Navratri festival, requiring identity verification and tilak… pic.twitter.com/16cgy7gR5C

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2026

Nitesh Rane Backs VHP's Stand

Rane, while supporting the VHP's position, alleged that incidents of 'love jihad' increase during festivals such as Navratri. He argued that people who do not follow idol worship should not participate in Hindu religious events. Rane also backed identity verification at garba and dandiya venues and suggested that attendees should recite the Hanuman Chalisa before being allowed entry.

The VHP's proposed guidelines reportedly include checking Aadhaar cards and applying tilak on participants' foreheads as part of the verification process. The term 'love jihad' is used by right-wing activists to allege that Muslim men deliberately enter relationships with Hindu women with the intention of converting them to Islam. The term has been widely disputed, and the issue has remained politically contentious.

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