While speaking at the event, Former BJP MLA Vikram Saini delivered a hate speech targeting Muslims and urged Hindus to take up arms in their defense.
The event was organised by the United Hindu Front to mark the first anniversary of Ram Temple.
In his speech, he said, “Do not give jobs to Mullahs (a derogatory term used for Muslims) in your shops.”
Addressing Hindu shopkeepers, he advised, “Pay a Hindu boy 15,000 rupees instead of 10,000 and keep four spade sticks and two boxes full of stones at your shops.”
Targeting Muslims in his speech, he said, “When Abdul (an indirect reference to Muslims) goes to shops, he stares at your sisters and daughters.”
He furthered his attacks on Muslims by stating that Muslims belong in Pakistan and India is not for Muslims and Hindus must be ready with weapons to defend themselves when threatened.
In his inflammatory speech, he stated that if someone throws a stone, they must retaliate with one stone and at least ten sticks.
Critics argue that this was entirely directed at Muslims fueling hate, making the audience think that Muslims will attack Hindus.
He went on to urge Hindus to have more children in order to counter Muslim population. He said, “If Muslim raise eleven children for ‘Jihad,’ Hindus must have four children for nation, grandparents, parents, and for society respectively.”
The speech has drawn widespread criticism on social media platforms with netizens calling for action against such hate speeches. Several users noted that targeted attacks on Muslims have become increasingly common and stricter action needs to be taken.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.