“No society should accept hatred as the new normal”
-CJI DY Chandrachud March 22, 2023
As a society we have largely aspired for peaceful co-existence, however, this consensus does not sit easy with the right wing in India. They are determinedly imposing hatred and animosity among the majority with an aim to alienate and marginalise the minority. These agents of hate include Sudarshan News Editor Suresh Chavhanke who has been on a guided tour in Maharashtra over the past three months, spreading divisiveness, attempting to incite violence. His speech feed the audience (and others online) with heaps of false information and also make baseless claims to paint the minority community as an “enemy.”
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On the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the New Year, when all people look forward to messages of positivity, hate mongers like Chavhanke were busy injecting hatred. More problematic is the fact that the police and administration allowed this sort of corrosive activity unchecked.
At Anant Kanhere Maidan in Nashik on Hindu New year, March 22, Chavhanke addressed a large crowd at a ‘Hindu Hunkar Sabha’, speaking in Marathi while the entire show was streamed live on YouTube. Needless to say, in his hour long speech he resorted to his usual fear mongering, stigmatising Muslims and Christians, referring to them in denigrating terms, gave calls for violence, used the ‘they should be in Pakistan’ trope, made baseless claims of encroachment over temples, made unfounded claims about “love Jihad”, revolved his narrative around attacking the autonomy of women and urged people to take law in their hands. All of this and more has always been Chavhanke’s particular brand of hate recipe.
Almost every statement he made during this address amounted to at least one offence under Indian penal laws. Apparently (as can be understood from his speech), there were even senior officers of Maharashtra police present at this event. Despite this however, the man emerged unscathed, with no case, to date, being registered against him.
Using the victim card, trying to generate both anger and fear, he made some baseless claims about ‘Land Jihad’ around the Navshya Ganpati temple in Nashik. He claimed that he would be going to visit the temple and then the countdown will begin. He said he will gift a bulldozer to CM Eknath Shinde to remove this “encroachment”. This statement evoked a loud applause from the audience. “Sit on the bulldozer like Yogi Adityanath,” he said exhorting the Maharashtra chief minister, Eknath Shinde.
He even attacked Christians. He claimed that Adivasis living in Peth, Harsul, Trambak, Igatpuri, Surgana, Ghoti are being converted “in large numbers”. In the last three years alone, he says, Christians have converted so many Adivasis that this has beaten the record of the past 20 years! I have a list that shows that even where there are only four Christian homes, there are still big churches in the area. Where do they get the money from? Who is talking about this? Hence we need to talk about this. (Time stamp: 28.27-28.35)
He claimed that the Waqf Board is eyeing thousands of acres of land in Nashik and that Nashik needs to be awakened. (Time stamp: 31.11)
He said the biggest obstacle in rescuing girl from Love Jihad is the girl herself because she has not been taught by her parents that wars in Ramayan and Mahabharat were fought for protecting the women. You should give Sanskar to your children.
He made the following demands to the government:
- Bring a stringent Love Jihad law in Maharashtra
- Bring a stringent anti-conversion law in Maharashtra
- Bring a stringent anti-cow slaughter law in Maharashtra
- Bring Anti-encroachment law for forts, Law against Madrassas and a Population
control law
What he said
Here is the transcript of the video by time stamps (Time stamp:8:19-9:02)
“If someone is looking at your sister with bad intentions. Then your anger should be so loud that the jihadi should start bleeding from his ears. The conspiracy against your mothers and sisters should be heard by you and you need sharp ears for that. Like Gandhiji’s monkeys will you keep your eyes, mouth and ears shut? (Time stamp: 10.00- 10.53)
“The police are the victims. The first target of these jihadis are the police. These Hindus are with you (the Police). From tomorrow the ‘love jihadi’ will not be so brave because so many Hindus are with you.” (Time stamp: 12.45- 13.30)
“In Vihitgaon Hindus population is less than 50%. The name is now renamed as Eid gaon. Politicians will not tell you such things. That is why you need such meetings.
(Time stamp: 14.25-14.38)
“You praise the cow but unless you don’t cut off the hand of the Kasaai who slaughters the cow, the cow will not give you any blessings. Protect cows like Shivaji Maharaj did.
(Time stamp: 15.37- 19.02)
“Even a married woman is unsafe. We have forgotten about Kiran Sanap. Nobody knows if Rashid Khan is on bail. Unless you take revenge, there will be rule of law. Here there is no hegemony of law and no hegemony of Hindus either. I am not saying break the law. If a jihadi molests your sister, will you dial 100 or will you take the matter in your hands?” The audience says they will do the latter “Is there even one such example of a person taking law in their hands in such a case? No… This Sabha is to encourage you that if someone looks at your sister with bad intentions, that person should not be let off. (Time stamp: 20.04 – 21.18)
“In MIDC, Shinnar Bangladeshis have settled down. I plead to the senior officers of the Police seated here and Ministers as well. Nashik does not have a cell for searching for Bangladeshis. You must be seeing new kinds of caps (referring to Muslim skull caps. Where did they come from? From Bangladesh. They brought Rohingyas from Bangladesh. I take their name today. Islamic organization called ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’ through their network of various mosques a Muslim foreigner has been settled in smallest of villages in India. (Time stamp: 21.20- 21.32)
Your fruits business is not with your anymore. You have lost them out to them (Muslims). If a fellow countryman had done it (taken over the business) I would have remained quiet for a while. But a Bangladeshi! (Time stamp:21.32-21.45)
“That’s why from this Nashik we need to give a declaration: Bangladeshi Bhagao aur Hindustan Bachao (Chase away the Bangladeshi and Save India).” The audience resonated with him.
(Time stamp: 21.53-22.43)
“How many of you know what the Muslim population in Nashik is? As per Census 2011, 19% Muslims are in Nashik. This is 2011 census. As per current data, this number has increased to 27-29%. DO you understand how big a number this is? Wherever the Hindus population decreases there Hindustan also diminishes. Kashmir, Bengal, Kerala are all border states. What is happening within the borders? Do you want Nashik to become Malegaon? It’s happening!”
(Time stamp: 22.44-23.22)
“If this continues, I am telling you by 2030, within 7 years, you will not be able to organize any Hindu events/programs. Population (of Muslims) will increase so much you won’t be able to do anything.” “Today in Malegaon, can you such a meeting? (Time stamp: 23.30-24.47)
“We think we have money so we don’t have to fear. The Hindus in Dhaka at one point thought that the velvet business is ours, the Hindus of Kashmir at one point though the Kesar business is ours and they (Muslim) are just labourers. But if they announce on the loudspeakers of their mosques that leave your women and girls behind and leave this Nashik, do we want such a situation to arise here? It happened in Kashmir, right? Could Hindus enter Kashmir again despite Modi’s government? Still not even nine Hindus could go to Kashmir and live there.
(Time stamp: 29.02-29.22)
“Waqf Board is a demon capturing lands. Central government needs to pay attention to this. If they say tomorrow that Dindori Ashram (in Nashik), is ours then to get justice you will have to go to the Waqf Board.” (Time stamp: 29.34-30.15)
“This is nothing. Even the Allahabad High Court had to go to the Supreme Court begging to save them. This is how powerful the Waqf Board is. In the last 3 years, 1.5 lakh acres land has been captured by the Waqf Board. I had been to Rahta and Guha in (Ahmed) Nagar, there they have even usurped temple lands. (Time stamp: 35.28-36.12)
“Tipu Sultan was an enemy of Maharashtra. He was an agent of the French and Portuguese I demand from the Maharashtra government that those worshipping Tipu Shaitan and Aurangzeb should be treated as traitors” (Time stamp: 36.28- 37.04)
“Everywhere Muslims are more than 20%. There around a 40 crore population in India. All Muslim nations together do not have this much population. Can you call them minority? Only 2-3% population is called minority. That’s why we are appealing to Narendra Modi to get rid of the Ministry of Minority Affairs. (Time stamp: 38.00- 39.50)
“Speaking about population, he said that Hindus are now only having one child but they (Muslims) are still having 4 children and at whose expense is this? Ours. In this democracy, even a saint gets only vote to cast and even a criminal gets only 1 vote to cast. Isn’t this injustice? These children take the rice given to them funded by our money, and fill their stomachs.
(Time stamp: 39.50- 40.30)
“Around 56-60% tax is paid by Hindus. There is only 1% Hindus in Pakistan, but they pay 26% tax there. But they are not safe there. India’s 20% Muslim does not even pay 2% tax. But they are safe here.
(Time stamp: 48.17- 48.57)
“Babasaheb Ambedkar said ‘until the last Muslim does not go to Pakistan, I will not accept this partition.’ If we had listened to Babasaheb then today the Rupee which is 83 for 1 Dollar, would have been equal to that dollar.
The entire video may be viewed here:
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