The event was hosted by Dhirendra Shastri who is a self-styled young 26-year old god man from Madhya Pradesh. Suresh Chavhanke delivered a contentious address, touching on religious matters, particularly targeting Muslim places of worship.
‘The resolution by Maharaj ji of bringing Mathura’s idols to Agra’s mosque. It was said in Geet, we have liberate two more temples – Mathura and Kashi. It was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s aim to liberate 300,000 temples!’
‘Will we or won’t?!’ Chavhanke asked as the crowd responded.
It’s worth noting that two years ago, Suresh Chavhanke claimed he faced legal action when an FIR was filed against him for his pledge to establish a Hindu Rashtra, or a Hindu nation. And he proclaimed this incident proudly at the conclave, saying he will not take back his words even if he were to be hanged. – “Two years ago, when I took a pledge of allegiance to make Hindu Rashtra, an FIR was filed against me! Is talking about Hindu Rashtra hate speech? Yes, talking about it is surely ‘Hot speech!’
Location: Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
At Dhirendra Shastri’s event, far-right leader Suresh Chavhanke delivers a communal speech targeting Muslim places of worship and called for turning India into a Hindu nation. pic.twitter.com/hp0rqQWZCG
— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) July 16, 2023
Suresh Chavhanke is the current Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Sudarshan News, and boasts of a longstanding association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He faced charges of promoting religious enmity through his program “Bindas Bol” In 2017. The show focused on the town of Sambhal, linking it to terrorism and alleged the town had connections with al Qaeda.
In a separate incident, Chavhanke came under scrutiny in 2020 for releasing a trailer of an upcoming news show. The program targeted Muslim students who successfully cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams with coaching assistance from Jamia Millia Islamia’s Residential Coaching Academy. In a shocking manner, the anchor referred to this achievement as an “infiltration” into the civil services and controversially coined the term “UPSC jihad,” labelling the students as “Jamia ke Jihadi.” The trailer’s release drew immediate backlash, with Jamia Millia Islamia requesting the education ministry to take appropriate action against Sudarshan News and its editor-in-chief for tarnishing the university’s image and the Muslim community.
On hearing a plea filed against the programme Advocate Firoz Iqbal Khan in 2020 which claimed that his programme contained ‘divisive’ material, Justice Chandrachud, in particular, voiced his disapproval, remarking that these allegations not only undermine national stability but also cast aspersions on the credibility of the UPSC exam.
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