Ratnagiri, Apr 25 (PTI): Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane on Friday said Hindus should ask the religion of shopkeepers before buying anything from them, controversial remarks coming in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Heavily-armed terrorists struck a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on April 22, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists from other states.

According to some of the survivors, terrorists asked name and religion of male tourists before shooting them. The survivors also said the assailants asked some of the tourists to recite the 'kalma' (an Islamic declaration of faith) and those who failed to do so were shot dead.

Addressing a gathering in Ratnagiri district's Dapoli town, minister Rane said, "They asked our religion before killing us. So Hindus must also ask their religion before buying anything. If they are asking your religion and killing you, then you should also ask their religion before shopping or buying anything. Hindu 'sangathans' (organisations) should raise such a demand."

Chances are some shopkeepers will not tell their religion or will just lie about their faith, the BJP leader said.

"Whenever you go for shopping, ask their religion. If they say they are Hindus, then tell them to recite Hanuman Chalisa, If they don't know how to recite Hanuman Chalisa (devotional hymn in praise of Lord Hanuman) then don't buy anything from them," he told the crowd.

Referring to Aurangzeb, Rane maintained the Mughal emperor did not spare even his father and brother.

"Look at Aurangzeb. He did not respect even his father and brother. If he did not respect his father and brother, then how can they respect you people?" he asked.

"If they are behaving this way about religion then why should we buy things from them and make them rich? You people will have to take a pledge that whenever you make any purchase, you should buy it only from a Hindu," Rane told the gathering.

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New Delhi (PTI): Sanju Samson bossed the chase with authority, anchoring a modest 156-run target with a fluent 87 not out as Chennai Super Kings outclassed Delhi Capitals by eight wickets in the IPL here on Tuesday.

Samson's knock came off just 52 balls with seven fours and six sixes, batting through the innings as CSK completed the chase in just 17.3 overs giving a huge boost to their net run-rate.

Electing to bat on a tricky surface, Delhi Capitals were restricted to 155/7.

West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein set the tone with the new ball, returning tidy figures of 1/19, including 14 dot balls.

Reduced to 69/5 in 11 overs, Delhi found some late impetus through Tristan Stubbs (38; 31 balls) and Sameer Rizvi (40 not out; 24 balls), who stitched together a crucial 65-run (off 47 balls) stand to give the innings a respectable total.

Brief Scores:

Delhi Capitals: 155 for 7 in 20 overs (Tristan Stubbs 38, Sameer Rizvi 40 not out; Noor Ahmed 2/22)

Chennai Super Kings 159 for two in 17.3 overs (Sanju Samson 87 not out, Kartik Sharma 41 not out). CSK win by eight wickets.