18, Jun 2024 | CJP Team

Television anchor and noted hate monger Suresh Chavhanke has claimed that the Eknath Shinde is rewarding those engaged in “vote jihad” to defeat Modi in the Lok Sabha elections.  

In his video segment, he made the following claims, 

“Why did the Maharashtra government give a grant of 10 crore rupees to the Waqf Board, which should be buried? To defeat Modi in the Lok Sabha elections, those who did vote jihad are now being given a return gift by Eknath Shinde ji? Does this mean that if Afzal Khan stabs us in the back now he will be rewarded? If you want to give it, give it from your party’s account, the one you separated in the name of Hindutva. We oppose giving money to a board that should be dissolved.” He invited people to tune into his show and give him support. 

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Who is Suresh Chavhanke?

Suresh Chavhanke is a shrill, right wing Hindutva journalist who is the current chairman, managing director (CMD) and the editor-in-chief of  Sudarshan TV Channel Limited. He is the anchor of TV show Bindas Bol. His ties with the Rashtroya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are long standing, having been a member since the age of 3 years when he started attending its ceremonies. As a member of RSS, he had worked as a reporter of pro-RSS newspaper, Taun Bharat.  He has held several posts in RSS before becoming a “full-time reporter”. He launched Sudarshan News channel in 2005 in Pune and later shifted it to Noida.]  

Repeat Offender

Sudarshan TV News editor-in-chief Chavhanke has been repeatedly accused of hate speech. The  Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) has consistently filed complaints against him to the National Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) due to his inflammatory speeches. A 2023 analysis by Sabrang India also seemed to show that where Suresh Chavhanke gave speeches, communally charged violence used to soon follow. For instance, since December 2022, Chavhanke had made five hate speeches in Maharashtra, specifically in Jalgaon (December 25, 2022), Ahmednagar (February 6), Pune (February 15), Aurangabad (March 19), and Nashik (March 22). Violence against Muslims erupted on March 28, 2023. Additionally, Chavhanke played a significant role in the controversy surrounding the renaming of Aurangabad through his programme on Sudarshan TV. 

जिस वक़्फ़ बोर्ड को कबर में गाड़ना चाहिए उसे महाराष्ट्र सरकार ने १० करोड़ रूपये की ख़ैरात क्यों दी?

लोकसभा चुनाओ में मोदी को हराने के लिए जिन्होंने वोट जिहाद किया, उनको एकनाथ शिंदे जी रिटर्न गिफ़्ट क्यों दे रहें है?

मतलब अब अफ़ज़ल खान पीठ में ख़ंजर मारेगा तो उसका पेट फाड़ने… pic.twitter.com/dElSf5f6ii

— Dr. Suresh Chavhanke “Sudarshan News” (@SureshChavhanke) June 14, 2024

In a new government resolution from June 10, the Maharashtra Minority Development Department has announced that the Waqf Board will be allocated Rs 2 crore from the Rs 10 crore budget, which is being set aside for minority welfare in the 2024-25 financial year. This directive was issued by Moin Tashlidar, the Deputy Secretary in the Maharashtra government.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has also added to this and called out the Maha Yuti government, which is led by the BJP in Maharashtra, for allocating a grant of 10 crore rupees to the state Wakf Board. Mohan Salekar of the VHP, has spoken against the state government for “strengthening” the Waqf Board through this step. Salekar stated that the VHP is completely opposed to this grant, stating that the Maha Yuti government is taking actions that even the previous Congress-led government did not undertake and accused them of ‘minority appeasement.’

As per the Indian Express, the state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule has responded to these comments saying, “The funds allocated by the state government was for digitisation of the Waqf Board. The process was necessitated to fix the wrongs. It would help to identify the land which has been wrongly acquired from Hindus and tribes and backward classes.” He also decried any claims accusing the government of minority appeasement. 

As per Deccan Herald, the budget for the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs was again slashed by 38 % in the last fiscal year. Earlier it had been ₹5,020.50 crore in 2022-23 in 2023-24 it was ₹3,097.60 crore. 

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