Divisive Rhetoric in Maharashtra: 50 Rallies in 4 Months Focused on ‘Love Jihad’, ‘Land Jihad’, and ‘Economic Boycott’

Divisive Rhetoric in Maharashtra: 50 Rallies in 4 Months Focused on 'Love Jihad', 'Land Jihad', and 'Economic Boycott'

At one such rally, at Mumbai’s Mira Road on March 12, speeches were made against “Islamic aggression”, “love jihad” and “land jihad”, with some of the speakers calling for an economic boycott of Muslims.

Starting November last year, at least 50 ‘Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha’ rallies have been held across Maharashtra, in almost all of the state’s 36 districts. Each of these events has followed a set pattern: a brief march through the heart of the city, amid a sea of saffron flags and caps, followed by a short rally, where speakers on a makeshift dais attack minorities, invoke “love jihad”, “land jihad”, “forced conversions”, and call for the economic boycott of the Muslim community.

For the record, the BJP distances itself from these rallies, saying they are by the Sakal Hindu Samaj, an umbrella body of Hindutva and Sangh organisations, but almost all of these events have had the presence of party leaders, including the local BJP MLA and MP. The speeches, however, are largely delivered by right-wing hardliners, including suspended BJP leader and Telangana MLA T Raja Singh, Kalicharan Maharaj and Kajal Hindustani — at least two of them (Singh and Maharaj) face hate speech cases both in the state and elsewhere.

While Singh was suspended by the BJP in August last year for his remarks on Islam and Prophet Mohammed, he is a familiar face at such rallies in Maharashtra. Kalicharan Maharaj, aka Abhijit Dhananjay Sarang, is from Akola in Maharashtra. A proponent of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, he was arrested in December 2021 for his speech at a dharam sansad in Raipur, where he allegedly hailed Nathuram Godse. Kajal Hindustani, aka Kajal Shingala, is a Gujarat-based Hindutva activist.

At one such rally, at Mumbai’s Mira Road on March 12, speeches were made against “Islamic aggression”, “love jihad” and “land jihad”, with some of the speakers calling for an economic boycott of Muslims.

“There are three major aspects of Islamic aggression. First is love jihad, second comes land jihad and finally there is the problem of conversion… For these…there is a Ram-led solution – one where you will not be stopped by political leaders, the Supreme Court or even the media. That solution is their economic boycott,” said Kajal Hindustani.

A 2-km march that preceded the speeches was flagged off by Geeta Jain, independent MLA from Mira Bhayandar who is supporting the government. The event was attended by BJP MLA Nitesh Rane along with local BJP leaders and members of outfits such as the VHP and Bajrang Dal.

While Maharashtra Police personnel were seen at most of the rallies recording the speeches, no case has been filed against any of the speakers so far. T Raja Singh has been booked twice by the Maharashtra Police for hate speeches in Latur (February) and Ahmednagar (March), but those were at rallies not held under the banner of the ‘Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha’.

“As per Supreme Court’s guidelines, we are video recording everything that is being said at these rallies. We then listen to them thoroughly, seek legal advice from appropriate individuals and accordingly legal action is being taken,” said a senior Maharashtra Police officer.

Despite a February 3 directive by the Supreme Court that the Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha would only be allowed if there is “no hate speech”, the speeches at these rallies have called Muslims “unpatriotic”, whose “prime aim is to veer Hindu girls away from their religion by converting them to Islam through marriage”.

Consider these:

November 20, 2022: At the first Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha in Parbhani, held in the background of the outrage over the murder of Shraddha Walkar by her partner Aaftab Poonawala, the organisers said the rally was to create awareness in Hindu society about the dangers of ‘love jihad’. Local BJP functionaries and Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction MLA Rahul Patil were among those present.

January 29, 2023: At a rally in Mumbai, open threats were issued to Muslims on issues such as the presence of mosques, alleged pandering of the state to the Waqf Board, and halal meat. Addressing the crowd at Kamgar Maidan, where the rally ended, Telangana MLA T Raja Singh, while urging Hindus to boycott goods from shops run by members of the Muslim community, said: “It is time the Hindu community stands up against the domination by these people. There’s anger in the hearts and minds of people… Our sisters and daughters are falling prey to the systematic designs of the other community.” BJP MLAs Ashish Shelar and Pravin Darekar and MPs Gopal Shetty and Manoj Kotak attended the rally.

February 27: At a rally in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, more anti-Muslim rhetoric was raised. “Oh Abdul, listen to us, these Hindu brothers have decided to boycott you starting today,” Kajal Hindustani said. BJP MLA Ganesh Naik was present at the rally.

March 12: At a rally in Mira Road, Kajal Hindustani claimed Muslim vendors laced vegetables and fruits with toxins. “Today, almost all the vendors in Shanti Nagar, Poonam Garden, Jesal Park have been occupied by jihadi vendors. Spend a little extra money and stop buying from them. Ensure the money goes to a Hindu’s house.” Bhayander Independent MLA Geeta Jain and BJP MLA Nitesh Rane were present at the rally.

Asked about the participation of BJP leaders and ministers at these protests, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said in January: “In some rallies, our party workers or leaders have been present because they are also Hindus. If a rally is being organised on the problems faced by Hindus, then it is natural that these leaders may participate. But this is not an agenda of (the BJP).”

Speaking on condition of anonymity about the rallies, a senior BJP leader pointed to the changed circumstances since the party joined hands with the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena to come to power in the state in June last year.

“Hindutva was cited as the main reason by Eknath Shinde for overthrowing the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. A message needed to be sent out that the new government will give justice to Hindus, that it listens to Hindus and works for Hindus, even more than the previous one,” he said, adding that ‘love jihad’ issues connect with a large section of women.

“He (Uddhav) will always have the advantage of being Balasaheb Thackeray’s son, but the dilemma for him will be that his leaders can neither participate in these rallies nor condemn them,” he said, while pointing out that the BJP has been raising these issues in every state. “Love jihad is a common thread across the country. What Maharashtra is witnessing now is an experiment to check whether these mobilisations will reflect in votes.”

Asked about the hate speeches at these gatherings, BJP’s Kankavli MLA Nitesh Rane, who was present at the Mira Road event on March 12, told The Indian Express that he agreed with the call for economic boycott of Muslims.

“All that money is used by them against the Hindu community. If that money is used for the prosperity of the community, no one would have an issue. But they use money in the name of terrorism, love jihad and a lot of other things against Hindus. So obviously, we had to call out to stop their economic prosperity,” Rane said.

BJP MLA Pravin Darekar, who, too, was seen at many of these rallies, said: “Hindu girls are being lured and converted… this is taking place in large numbers. There are land mafia from a particular community who grab land and make religious places. Hindu society has come together against all this.”

Besides the Morcha rallies, there have been similar rallies across Maharashtra, including the ‘Hindu Rashtra Jagruti Sabhas’ organised by the Hindu Janjagriti Samiti, a Goa-based organisation with a stated aim of establishing a “Hindu nation”. These rallies too witness inflammatory speeches.

Though the organisers of the two gatherings are different, the speakers who get called are the same – T Raja Singh, Kalicharan Maharaj and Kajal Hindustani, among others.

The main Opposition parties in the state have largely chosen to keep quiet on the Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha rallies. “These rallies are being organised to divert people’s attention from the real issues of inflation, price rise and unemployment. Why should we engage on the agenda set by right-wing forces? We have chosen to not react to these rallies because we do not want to divert attention from economy-related issues,” said a senior Congress leader, who asked not to be named.

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