People claim their religion is in danger, but it is their party that is in danger, and they are praying to save it, Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh has said while campaigning for his brother and Maharashtra Congress leader.

The actor was campaigning in Latur for his younger brother, Congress candidate Dhiraj Deshmukh, who will take on BJP's Ramesh Karad in the Latur (Rural) assembly seat in the November 20 Maharashtra polls.

Addressing a rally on Sunday night, Riteish said, "Lord Krishna said karma (work) is dharma (religion). The one who works sincerely is doing dharma. Those who don't work need religion." "Those who claim their religion is in danger, it is their party that is in danger, and they are praying to their dharma to save their party and themselves. Tell them we will take care of our religion, you first speak about development," he said.

The educated youth of the state don't have jobs, and it is the government's responsibility to give them employment, the actor said, adding that farmers were not getting a good price for their produce.

He pointed out that in the 2019 assembly polls, Dhiraj won by a margin of 1.21 lakh votes, urging people to vote in such a way that the opposition candidate loses his deposit.

Riteish urged the youth to recognise the significance of their vote, stressing the need to protect the dignity and rights of every citizen while safeguarding Maharashtra's identity.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.