Members of Right-Wing parties have intensified their hate-mongering against the Muslim community as the Lok Sabha election draws near.
As reported by Hindutva Watch, an independent research initiative that documents hate crimes and hate speeches against religious minorities in the country, they are using vilification campaigns and false conspiracy theories to polarize the voters along communal lines.
The Observer Post compiled 12 publicly available instances of such speeches between the first week of November and the last week of October, analyzing patterns of hate-mongering against Muslims.
Hindu supremacist monk Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati was reported delivering anti-Muslim speeches at two different meetings in Bihar in the last week. He also made incendiary remarks against the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran and called for a Hindu Rashtra (nation).
Similarly, Pankaj Singh, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), targeted Muslim places of worship and made unsubstantiated claims of temples being captured by the Muslim community in India. He also accused Muslims of being involved in terrorism, love jihad, and cow slaughter, and urged Hindus to unite and fight against them.
Another instance of hate speech was delivered by Harishankar Jain, the President of the Hindu Front for Justice, at an event in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. He demonized Muslims as “enemies of the nation” and “traitors”, and justified violence against them. He also claimed that Muslims were responsible for the partition of India, and that they should be expelled from the country.
Hindutva Watch posted on X platform (formerly Twitter) that these speakers peddled false conspiracy theories and justified as well as raised calls for violence against Muslims and spread a hateful divisive ideology.
Some of the most disturbing instances of hate speech are listed below:
October 25, 2023 (Agra, Uttar Pradesh)
- BJP Youth Leader Threatens Genocide Against Muslims
Amit Chaudhary, the leader of the BJP’s youth wing, made a shocking statement alleging that Prime Minister Modi was responsible for the Godhra massacre for the sake of Hindus. He also threatened to unleash genocidal violence against Muslims, whom he referred to as “jihadis” and “monsters”.
Chaudhary was addressing a gathering of the Hanuman Sena, a fringe Hindu group that claims to work on “radicalism” and “ground-level” action. He said that every Hindu should become a fanatic to deal with Muslims, and that the Hanuman Sena would take the lives of 10 Muslims for every Hindu.
You can watch his hateful speech here.
This is not the first time that Chaudhary has made such inflammatory remarks. In 2022, he was arrested for making a speech in which he said that Muslims should be killed and their women should be raped. He was later released on bail.
Such speech not only violates the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and dignity of all citizens, but also the Indian Penal Code, which prohibits promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, and inciting violence and hatred.
October 26, 2023 (Bagbera, Purbi Singhbhum, Jharkhand )
- Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theories by BJP Leader
Abhay Kumar Singh, a BJP leader and former MLA, made fanatic claims about Muslim boys luring Hindu girls into love jihad, a term used by Hindutva groups to accuse Muslims of converting Hindu women by deception or coercion. He also alleged that Muslims were involved in drug trafficking and terrorism, and that they should be boycotted by Hindus.
Singh was speaking at a public meeting in Bagbera, where he was campaigning for the BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha election. He said that Muslim boys would roam around on motorcycles in front of schools and colleges using Hindu names such as Raghuram and wearing sacred threads, pretending to be Hindus. He said that Hindu girls who fell in this trap would come to know only later, after eloping with the boy, that he was not a Hindu. He claimed that there were a lot of such cases.
You can watch his hateful speech here.
October 28, 2023 Shastri Park, New Delhi
- Hindu Mahasabha Leader Calls for Violence and Demolition of Mosques
Ravendra Diwedi, a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, a right-wing Hindu nationalist party, delivered a hate speech against Muslims and their places of worship. He called for violence and the demolition of mosques, which he claimed were built over Hindu temples by the Mughals.
Diwedi was addressing a gathering of the Hindu Mahasabha supporters at Shastri Park, where he said that Hindus should not tolerate the existence of mosques in India. He said that mosques were symbols of Muslim domination and Hindu subjugation, and that they should be razed to the ground. He also accused Muslims of being traitors and enemies of the nation, and urged Hindus to unite and fight against them.
You can watch his hateful speech here.
October 29, 2023 (Patna, Bihar)
- Hindu Extremist Openly Call for Mass Violence Against Muslims
Azad Vinod, a leader of the Sudarshan Vahini, a fringe Hindu group that claims to work for the protection of Hindu culture and religion, made a shocking statement comparing Muslims to mad dogs and demons. He said that Muslims only understood the language of slaughter, and that slaughter was the only solution for them. He also claimed that Muslims were raping dead bodies in Israel, and that Hindu women had to perform jauhar (self-immolation) in the past to protect themselves from Muslims. He also vowed to free Muslims from the clutches of regressive Islamic ideology and do their ghar wapsi (reconversion to Hinduism).
You can watch his hateful speech here.
October 29, 2023 (Patna, Bihar)
- Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati demonize Muslim community using disinformation from Israel-Hamas conflict
Around the same time, Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati – another Hindu priest who is out on bail in hate speech case – made another extremely hateful speech , asking Hindus to take up arms to fight for their existence, while using disinformation from the Israeli-Hamas war.
He demonized Muslims as thieves and rapists, and justified the use of violence against them. He also made incendiary remarks against the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran, and called for a Hindu Rashtra (nation).
You can watch his hateful speeches here and here.
October 29, 2023 Location: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
- Hindu Front for Justice Leader Targets Muslim Places of Worship
Harishankar Jain, the President of the Hindu Front for Justice, a right-wing Hindu group that claims to work for the protection of Hindu rights and interests, delivered a hate speech targeting Muslim places of worship. He made unsubstantiated claims of temples being captured by the Muslim community in India, and called for their liberation.
Jain was speaking at an event in Lucknow, where he said that Hindus needed to free the birthplace of Lord Krishna and destroy the symbol of slavery, referring to a mosque that was built over a temple in Mathura. He also said that he had filed petitions in the High Court against several mosques that he alleged were built over Hindu temples, such as the Goshala mosque and the Laxman fort mosque. He urged Hindus to boycott Muslims in their daily transactions, and said that they could not rely on Modi and Yogi for everything.
You can watch his hateful speech here.
Such speech not only spreads false and divisive claims, but also violates the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits any person from converting any place of worship of any religious denomination into one of a different denomination or section.
October 30, 2023 Nand Nagri, Mandoli, Delhi
- BJP Leader Stirs Controversy with Provocative Remarks Against Muslims at Delhi Panchayat
Jai Bhagwan Goyal, a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), made inflammatory statements against the Muslim community while addressing a panchayat organised by the United Hindu Front in northeast Delhi. Goyal’s controversial comments were caught on camera, as he called for violence and an economic boycott of Muslims.
During his speech, Goyal claimed that “all Muslims are the same” and that “India will become a Muslim nation in 5-7 years” if Hindus don’t take up arms. He also criticised Muslim leaders for not condemning the Popular Front of India (PFI), a Muslim organisation that has been accused of links to terrorism.
Goyal was not alone in his remarks, as Delhi BJP treasurer Ram Avtar Gupta and former Union Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya were also present at the event.
You can watch his hateful speech here.
November 1, 2023
Location: Tijara, Rajasthan
- BJP Leader Calls for the Removal of Mosques and Gurdwaras
Another shocking example of hate speech came from Sandeep Dayma, a BJP leader from Rajasthan, who called for the removal of mosques and gurdwaras during an election rally. He made this statement in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is also known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Dayma said that the BJP would not allow any mosque or gurdwara to be built in India, and that they would demolish the existing ones. He also said that the BJP would make India a Hindu Rashtra, or a Hindu nation, where only Hindus would have the right to live.
Yogi was seen clapping after Dayma made the hateful remarks. You can watch the video here.
Dayma later apologized for his gurdwara remarks, but reiterated his comments against mosques and Muslims. He said that he wanted to say “masjid-madarsa”, implying that he was against Islamic schools and places of worship.
Nov 4, 2023 Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
- Hindu Far-Right Leader Peddles Conspiracy Theories While Promoting Hatred Towards Muslims at Sanskruti Sansad
Kajal Shingala, a Hindu far-right leader and a self-proclaimed nationalist, made conspiracy theories and hateful remarks against Muslims while speaking at the Sanskruti Sansad, a cultural parliament organised by the Hindu Jagran Manch, a right-wing Hindu group that claims to work for the protection of Hindu culture and religion.
Shingala said that Hindu girls were being lured into love jihad, a term used by Hindutva groups to accuse Muslims of converting Hindu women by deception or coercion. She also blamed Bollywood for promoting love jihad through movies like Atrangi Re and Kedarnath, where Hindu girls fall in love with Muslim boys. She said that Hindu girls should be given proper sanskars, or values, so that they would reject any Muslim suitor. She also urged Hindu girls to empower themselves and hand them a sword.
You can watch her hateful speech here.
According to her Twitter bio, Kajal is an “entrepreneur, a research analyst, and a nationalist”. She has nearly 95,000 followers on Twitter, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kajal, whose former name was Kajal Shingala, describes herself as the ‘Lioness of Gujarat’ on her website.
- Nov 4, 2023 Location: Faridabad, Haryana
Nuh Violence Accused Urges Hindu Women to Shun Muslim Businesses During Diwali
Bittu Bajrangi, a key accused in the Nuh violence case, in which several Muslim families were attacked and their houses were burnt by a mob of Hindu extremists in 2019, made provocative remarks against Muslims at a gathering in Faridabad, Haryana, on Saturday. He boasted that he would rush to the rescue of any Hindu woman in peril within 10 minutes, even in the dead of night.
Bajrangi, who is currently out on bail, can be heard making these remarks in a video that has gone viral on social media. He said that on Diwali, no Hindu woman should buy goods from these monsters (Muslims). He said that if Muslims progress, they butcher Hindu mothers, sisters, and cows. He also said that Hindus should not celebrate Diwali with crackers, but with bullets.
You can watch his hateful speech here.
Nov 5, 2023 Location: Kawardha, Chhattisgarh
- UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Promises Action Against Love Jihad and Cow Smuggling in Chhattisgarh
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is also known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, promised action against love jihad and cow smuggling in Chhattisgarh if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power in the state. He was addressing an election rally in Kawardha, Chhattisgarh, where he said that the BJP would not tolerate any insult to Hindu sentiments and culture.
Yogi said that love jihad and cow smuggling were serious threats to the security and identity of the country, and that the BJP would take strict action against them. He also said that the BJP would implement the anti-conversion law and the cow protection law in Chhattisgarh, which are already in force in Uttar Pradesh. He also accused the Congress government in Chhattisgarh of being soft on terrorism and naxalism, and of neglecting the development of the state.
You can watch his speech here.
Nov 5, 2023 Location: Alwar, Rajasthan
- UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Draws Parallels Between Israel-Gaza Conflict and Congress-BJP Battle in Rajasthan
In another speech on November 5 in Alwar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath drew parallels between the Israel-Gaza conflict and the political battle between Congress and the BJP in Rajasthan. He made statements about the “need for action” and a reference to Lord Hanuman’s legendary mace, Bajrang Bali, as the solution to combating a “Taliban mindset.”
Addressing the crowd, he said that the BJP was like Israel, which was fighting against the enemies of the nation, while the Congress was like Hamas, which was supporting terrorism and violence. He said that the BJP would not compromise with the security and sovereignty of the country, and that it would use Bajrang Bali to deal with the Taliban mindset of the Congress.
You can watch his speech here.
