New Delhi, May 12, 2023 (PPI-OT): A Hindutva Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Pracharak (publicist) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader has vowed to convert 30,000 mosques into temples and made hate speeches targeting Muslims at an event in Rajasthan state. The video of RSS Pracharak, Ishwar Lal’s hate speeches has gone viral on social media courtesy of Hindutva Watch, a Twitter handle that tracks hate crimes. “Across the country, we have built Ram temple but Krishna birthplace and Kashi Vishwanath temple are yet to be liberated. Thirty thousand temples were destroyed to build mosques. We will have to liberate these 30,000 temples,” said Lal.
On April 28, Indian Supreme Court termed hate speech a serious offence capable of affecting the secular fabric of the country. It also extended the scope of its 2022 order and directed all states and Union Territories to register hate speech cases even if no complaint was made. The apex court also warned that delay in registering hate speech cases would be treated as contempt of court. “Irrespective of the caste, community, or religion of the maker of the speech, no one can be allowed to break the law,” the court said. Rajasthan has been witnessing a rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric, hate speeches and communal clashes ahead of the assembly elections as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to dislodge the Congress government in the state. Lal uploaded the video on his YouTube channel named ‘Ishwar Pracharak’. The title of his video is ‘Bajrang Dal ka Parichay’.
This is not the first time Lal has talked about converting 30,000 mosques into temples. In January, he made similar vows while addressing an event in Lohawat area of Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. “We have made the Ram Temple and now we have to convert thirty thousand more mosques into temples,” Lal had said while addressing a Trishul Deeksha event – an event organised by Hindutva group Bajrang Dal where Trishuls (tridents) were distributed among Hindus. In his earlier speech in Lohawat, he had called for declaring India ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and urged a boycott of halal Muslim products.
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