Narendra Modi's Party Linked With Most Hate Speeches In India: Report

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is linked to most of the hate speeches and conspiracy theories recorded in India, says a recent report by Hindutva Watch. The party has used these to mobilize Hindu nationalism (Hindutva) for their electoral benefit.

Considering the first half of 2023, there were “255 recorded instances of hate speech gatherings or rallies targeting Muslims across India”, and “most of the hate events occurred in states governed by the BJP”, says the report.

The study named 2023 Half-Yearly Report: Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Events in India was published on Sunday September 24, by the Washington DC-based autonomous research firm Hindutva Watch.

Hindutva Watch is an independent research project that documents hate crimes and hate speeches against religious minorities in India, founded by Raqib Hameed Naik. The project focuses on tracking hate crimes and human rights abuses committed by radicalized Hindus and Hindutva militia groups in the country.

The report tried to document all the verified instances of hate speech events organized by Hindu far-right groups against India’s Muslim minorities in the first half of 2023.

“There has been an escalating trend of hate speech in India since 2014 when the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power”, says the study analysing the claims by Delhi-based socio-cultural organization, Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD).

As per the document, the anti-Muslim hate speech orchestrated within the country include chief ministers, legislators, and senior leaders from the ruling BJP.

“The rise of conspiracy theories like Love Jihad, Land Jihad, Halal Jihad, and Vyapar Jihad has been closely linked with the BJP’s efforts to mobilize Hindu nationalism (Hindutva) for electoral benefit”, expressed the research.

The majority of the conspiracy theories and hate speech events were mere BJP propagandas, targeting Muslims, for voter mobilization along with “explicit calls for violence, calls to arms, and demands for socio-economic boycotts of the Muslim community”.

Read the full report here: 2023 Half-Yearly Report: Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Events in India

It also asserted that “cases registered under Section 153A [promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony] of the Indian Penal Code “rose by more than 500% between 2014 and 2020” (after BJP came into power at the centre).

Major findings of the report

• First half of 2023 witnessed 255 recorded incidents of hate speech against Muslim community – 205 (80%) of them occurred in BJP-ruled states.
• States with highest number of hate speech gatherings are – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Karnataka ranks the top with 29%.
• Seven out of the top eight states with the highest hate speech events are governed by either BJP or their allies.
• Around 52% of hate speech gatherings in BJP-ruled states and UT”s were orchestrated by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bajrang Dal, the Sakal Hindu Samaj, and the Bharatiya Janata Party. All of these are affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
• 33% of hate speech events took place in states that have already conducted or are set to conduct state legislative elections in 2023.
• Over 36% of these events occurred in states slated to hold legislative elections in 2024.
• 4% of all the events featured hate-filled and sexist speeches explicitly targeting Muslim women.
• 33% of all the gatherings explicitly called for violence against Muslims.
• 11% of events included explicit calls for Hindus to boycott Muslims.

Hindutva Watch has earlier also notified about several instances of hate speeches propagated by BJP and its associations through their website and Twitter.

Location: Bhilwara, Rajasthan

Vishwa Hindu Parishad General Secretary Surendra Jain delivers hate speech against Muslims and threatened violence. pic.twitter.com/BTm9Lbot5D

— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) September 25, 2023