On February 25, a ‘Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha’ was taken out in Mira Road area of Thane, Maharashtra. The chief speaker at this event was BJP MLA T. Raja Singh. Singh, who had granted conditional permission to deliver a speech at the said rally, could be seen using anti-Muslim slur and provocative words. Through his speech, the videos of which have gone viral, Singh spread misinformation and disinformation in the name of Maharashtrian revered Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In a distorted re-telling of the tales of Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji Maharaj, Singh targeted the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. Singh selectively told the stories of Shivaji Maharaj where an Islamic ruler was involved in order to spread propaganda and hatred against the religious minority community. The issue of temples being demolished and mosques being built over them was raised again and again by the habitual hate-speaker to incite his audience. Referring to the recently inaugurated Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, and the violent act of demolition of the Babri Mosque, the BJP leader called for repeating the same in mosques present in Kashi and Mathura towns.
In the 40-minute-long speech, Singh also referred to other contentious topics such as the law on Citizenship Amendment Act and Uniform Civil Code. In order to paint the Muslim community as a suspicious enemy, topics of ‘Love-Jihad’, forced religious conversions, cow slaughter and illegal religious conversion were referred to by the speaker. The BJP MLA from Telangana also openly targeted Asaduddin Owaisi, who is the Chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party and also an MP from Hyderabad, Telangana. It is essential to note here that such inflammatory words were used by the hate offender after having submitted a court ordered undertaking to the Deputy Commission of Police of Zone-I, Mira Bhayander that Singh and the organisers will abide by all the terms and conditions imposed on them by the court and the authorities, and no hate speeches will be delivered at the rally.
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A division bench of Justices R.P. Mohite Dere and Shivkumar Dige of the Bombay High Court had imposed the condition of videotaping of the event in its order, by stating that “Needless to state that the Police to video record the entire procession that will be taken out by petitioner as well as the speeches that will be made at the said congregation/rally.”
Details of the Bombay High Court hearing and the conditional permission granted to him can be read here.
However, the videos that have emerged from the rally show how Singh has indulged in stoking communal fires once again. Below are the extracts from his 40 min speech delivered at the said rally, organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj. We have identified the Hindutva encouraged issues that were touched upon by the BJP MLA during the said rally, in an area which saw communal incidents of large scale only a month ago, in which court ordered video-tapping was also taking place.
Problematic aspects of Raja Singh’s speech
Distorting the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji, encouraging violence under his name: “Today, on the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj, all of us will take a pledge that till the time we are alive, we will fight for the establishment of a Hindu nation. We will take a pledge to keep fighting against Love Jihad, cow slaughter and forced religious conversions.” (Time stamp- 1:42- 2:17)
“Before the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Aurangzeb used to rule India. They used to frequently indulge in the forceful conversion of Hindus and demolition of temples. There is this story from the times of Aurangzeb that I will tell you. Aurangzeb and his followers wanted to demolish every temple in India. In one village of Maharashtra, the villagers had hidden a temple. One day, as people were worshipping there, Aurangzeb and his army reached the spot and were astonished to see the temple. They declared that they will destroy every temple in India. Before destroying this temple, they urinated on the temple and threw pieces of cow meat on the Shivling inside.” (Time stamp- 2:53- 4:25)
“One day, as a butcher is planning to slaughter a cow and the villagers are helplessly waiting for someone to come and save their mother cow, Shivaji Maharaj reaches there. Shivaji Maharaj then asks that L****e (anti-Muslim slur) butcher to tell him where he is taking that cow. That L****a (anti-Muslim slur) butcher tells Shivaji that guests are coming to his home so he was to slaughter the cow and eat it. Shiavji gets angry upon hearing this and he slits the throat of that butcher with his sword. This is how much Shivaji was committed to cow protection at the age of twelve.” (Time stamp- 6:20- 7:25)
“Shivaji Maharaj has not only saved Maharashtra, but he has saved the whole Hindu community. Today, Kashi would have had a Mosque had it not been for Shivaji Maharaj. Hindus would have Sunnat had it not been for Shivaji Maharaj.” (Time stamp- 10:14- 10:41)
Painting Mughal leaders, and by extension Muslims, as enemies: “When Afzal Khan went to see a Mullah before attempting to catch Shivaji Maharaj, that Mullah told Khan that you are trying to fight a tornado and nobody who has ever fought with this tornado has lived to tell the tale. Just like that, you too will die.” (Time stamp- 11:56- 12:25)
“Afzal Khan knew that the heart of Shivaji lies with his Hindu brethren. So, in order to draw Shivaji out, he started looting the Hindu villagers and demolishing the temples of Maharashtra. When Shivaji got to know of all this, he conspired to kill Khan. With the guise of meeting him, Shivaji Maharaj tore the chest of Afzal Khan and ensured that the saffron flag flew high.” (Time stamp- 13:15- 14:16)
“Today, when this story of Afzal Khan is told through plays and speeches, many take offence to that. Those who take offence while living in Maharashtra, I want to tell them that this is the land of Shivaji and if you follow Afzal Khan, you know of the consequences.” (Time stamp- 14:25- 14:50)
“Shivaji Maharaj had committed a surgical strike with Sahist Khan, when Khan had brought his army to capture Shivaji Maharaj. For three years Khan tried to catch Shivaji but was unable to, after which Shivaji resolved to teach a lesson to that L****a lesson. Within the duration of a night, Shivaji and his army attacked the Palace that Khan was staying at. It is told that once Khan saw Shivaji, he tried to run away but Shivaji used his sword in such a way that 3 fingers of Khan were cut off. You people say that you are not afraid of a fight, then why did you run away wearing a Burkha?” (Time stamp- 15:49- 17:50)
“Many of our kings committed the mistake of leaving our enemies alive, but Shivaji never did this mistake. If an enemy had been caught by them, they always tore them apart from the middle and killed them.” (Time stamp- 18:43- 18:59)
“Shivaji Maharaj had displayed the slaughtered head of Afzal Khan at the top of the Pratapgarh fort to ensure that no Mughal or Mullah in the coming times could dare to look at Shivaji Maharaj.” (Time stamp- 19:06- 19:46)
“Today we see that a lot of Maharajs in villages are converting their religion for small amounts of money or pressure. Our Hindu brothers are being converted in every village. We need to tell the story of Shivaji Maharaj and the sacrifice of Sambhaji Maharaj to these people and these families.” (Time stamp- 20:13- 20:35)
“What Aurangzeb did to our Sambhaji Maharaj should not be forgotten by us or our coming seven generations. They used to cut one part of Sambhaji’s body each day to force him to convert to Islam. Sambhaji had refused to do so and had died doing so.” (Time stamp- 21:35- 22:19)
A couplet is recited by Singh post this:
“देश धरम पर मिटने वाला शेर छवि महाराजा था
महा पराकर्मी परम प्रतापी एक ही संभु राजा था
तेज अंग तेजस्वी ऑंखें निकल गयी पर झुकी नहीं
दृष्टि गयी पर हिन्दू राष्ट्र का दिव्या सपना छूटा नहीं
दोनों हाथ काटे पर क्या हुआ संकल्प कभी छूटा नहीं
जीभ काटी खून बहाया, धरम का सौदा किया नहीं
शिवाजी का बेटा था वो, गलत राह पर चला नहीं
गर्व से हिन्दू कहने मै कभी किसी के बाप से डरा नहीं
कभी किसी के बाप से डरा नहीं
वर्ष ३०० बीत गए, अब तक उनके बलिदान को
कौन जीता कौन हारा पूछ लो संसार को
कोटि कोटि कंठो मै तेरा आज जय जय कार है
2अरे शंभु तू अमर हो गया, तेरी जय जय कार है, तेरी जय जय कार है” (Time stamp- 22:30- 23:48)
(Shivaji was the lion who died for his country and his religion
There was only one Sambhu King, the most powerful and the most glorious one.
His limbs were cut but he did not bend
The sight was lost but the divine dream of the Hindu nation was not lost.
He was Shivaji’s son, he did not follow the wrong path.
I am proud to be a Hindu and have never been afraid of anyone’s father.
300 years have passed since their sacrifice
Ask the world who won and who lost.
Today I am chanting ‘Jai Jai’ for you in millions of hearts.
Hey Shambhu, you have become immortal)
The Hindutva promoted agendas of ‘Love Jihad’, illegal encroachment, cow slaughter and forced religious conversions: “You need to visit the memorial of Sambhajii Maharaj and bow down in front of that to take a pledge to keep on working towards our religion and society. We will also give the same sacrifice in the coming times that you gave.” (Time stamp- 23:59- 24:23)
“Shivaji Maharaj had occupied and safeguarded at least 370 forts from the army of Aurangzeb. I want to ask you today, out of these 370, how many forts remain safe today? I want to ask the government regarding the 100 forts that have been taken over by these people to build a Mosque or a shrine. I want to urge our Chief Minister and Home Minister to make the forts encroached upon free and liberate them.” (Time stamp- 24:32- 25:47)
“India is moving forward. Once a law on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is brought in, then this nation will have only one law and no one would be able to follow the Sharia law. Everyone will follow Ambedkar’s law. Soon CAA-NRC will also be employed and the Hindus who are tortured in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran will be given citizenship under these new laws.” (Time stamp- 26:12- 27:18)
Unsubstantiated claims of illegal immigration: “Illegal Rohingyas from Myanmar and Bangladesh are hiding all over India. Even in the state of Maharashtra, Rohingyas are there. The incident that took place in Mira Road, I have heard that a lot of Rohingyas were involved. I would like to request the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the home minister to find all these people who are hiding in the state. Our Amit Shah has said a very good thing, he said that we will not even leave one of them. Wherever these people have come from, we will send each one of them back. These Rohingyas are harmful for our country and for the security of our country.” (Time stamp- 27:18- 28:20)
Targeting AIMIM leader Owaisi for his religion: “To make our dream of having a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya come true, many Karsevaks had to sacrifice their lives. Despite this, a few days ago, in the Parliament, our brother Owasi said that Babri Mosque was there and will always be there. He has also raised slogans hailing Babri Mosque. I want to ask that goat to tell me who made such an illiterate person a politician?” (Time stamp- 28:27- 29:47)
“Those who do not respect the Constitution of India and do not say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’, such people do not have the right to live in India. Even if one terrorist is killed in any corner of India, Owasi cries like his father’s son has died. He gets riled up as if a relative of his has died. He doesn’t even follow the orders of the Supreme Court.” (Time stamp- 29:47- 30:20)
“Hey Owaisi, listen to me son, till now we have only reclaimed Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura are still left. All those 40 thousand temples are left that were destroyed by Aurangzeb and structures have been built over it. You say that you will tell about the Babri Mosque to your next generations, listen to me as I say this- we will teach our coming generations Kar seva. We will teach our coming generations how to reclaim those 40 thousand temples.” (Time stamp- 30:20- 31:32)
Encouraging violence: “Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has made an amazing promise that whoever does Karseva in Mathura, they will not have to face guns but will be showered with flowers. For Kashi, Hindus are ready to dance Tandav and for Mathura, we are ready to blow the flute. If required, Hindus are also ready to fight the battle of Mahabharat.” (Time stamp- 31:32- 32:26)
“Those who are present here and attending this rally, I want to tell them that they need to be prepared to fight for the protection of our country and religion. When the Babri Mosque was demolished in Ayodhya, no minister had the audacity to stop us. Every Minister had kept quiet. There was this one Minister in Maharashtra who had openly declared that the Babri Mosque had been demolished by my army. When that lion used to roar, people would piss in their pants. And the name of that lion was BalaSaheb Thackrey.” (Time stamp- 32:26- 32:52)
“Whether the issue was of Ayodhya, or offering Namaz and loudspeakers, or illegal immigrants, Thackeray would openly threaten people that if they do not mend their ways then they would have to suffer fatal consequences. In an interview, Balasaheb was asked regarding the first thing he would do if he becomes the Prime Minister of India. Thackeray had replied that he would clear the land in Kashi and other places that Hindus have claimed to belong to them. This is why, even though Thackrey was not made the PM or the CM, people worship him as he ensured that the saffron flag flies high.” (Time stamp- 33:55- 35:40)
The speaker then urges the audience to take an oath with him. Notably, alongside him, another BJP MLA known for her vitriolic, Geeta Jain, can also be seen taking repeating the pledge.
Pledge: “We pledge today that till the time I am alive, I will protect my country. We pledge today that till the time I am alive, I will protect my religion. In my Hindu society, I will keep fighting against ‘Love Jihad’, forced religious conversions and cow slaughter. I will not let any wrong thing enter my body. I will learn how to use weapons. I will work for the establishment of a Hindu nation. I take my oath upon Shivaji Maharaj.” (Time stamp- 36:50- 38:10)
The complete 40 min video can be viewed here:
As per a report of the Indian Express, the police in Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar have asserted that the officials are going through transcripts of the speech made by the BJP leader at Mira Road. As per the officials, there are suspicions that Singh had made some communal remarks. The report provided that according to a senior police officer, after analysing the speech, they will take legal opinion on whether action should be taken against him.
The IE report provided that as per the senior officer, “The entire speech was video recorded and we will be going through it again and seek legal opinion on whether he has violated the undertaking. Prima facie, it appears that at certain points he has used some words and phrases that could violate his undertaking but we will decide after going through the video again.” Notably, on February 21, Singh had been denied police permission for taking out the said rally in Mira Road.
Video of the speech delivered by BJP MLA Geeta Jain also showed the leader delivering instigating speeches. The minister who has been accused of unnecessarily stoking communal fires during the Mira road incident by delivering hate speeches, could be heard gloating over the violence that had taken place in the month of January. She proudly deemed the communal violence incident to be a result of Hindus showing Muslim their position. Her speech is as follows:
“With our population size, we can do in five minutes what they would take 20 minutes to do”
“Some people are still trying to say that I am a woman, I will not be able to do it. To them, I want to say that I have done more than you could ever do in your life. I did not hide in my house, I was there on the roads with you all when the stone pelting incident was taking place.”
“We are Hindus. We are very tolerant, but we are not cowards.”
“Till the time an undivided Hindu nation is not established, I will neither sit quietly nor let anyone sit quietly. Do not mess with us.”
The complete video can be viewed here:
In #Mumbai‘s #MiraRoad, #BJP MLA #GeetaJain said “With our population size, we can do in five minutes what they would take 20 minutes to do”.#Telangana MLA #RajaSingh and other #Hindutva speakers made hate speeches and incited violence at the event on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/Mrt9w1LWiy
— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) February 26, 2024
In the IE report, an officer stated that the said rally was attended by a few thousand people, primarily youngsters. As per the report, the rally ended at 7.30 pm, just a few hours before the commencement of Shab-e-Baraat, when Muslims spend the night praying in mosques. A video also circulated on social media that showed the objectionable anti-Muslim slogans that was raised during the rally. In the said video, a group of young men donning saffron scarves or saffron caps could be heard using provocative and violent slogans. The wordings of these slogans were too vile to be written in words.
The video can be viewed here:
लोकेशन : मीरा भायंदर,महाराष्ट्र
दिनांक 25 फरवरीटी राजा सिंह की रैली के दौरान मुसलमानो के खिलाफ आपत्तिजनक नारो का इस्तेमाल किया गया ।
लांड्या (मुस्लिमो के खिलाफ कहे जाने वाला अपमानजनक शब्द) को भगाओ इत्यादि भड़काऊ नारे लगाए गए। pic.twitter.com/oGBgzBE2wZ
— The Muslim (@TheMuslim786) February 26, 2024