{"id":291349,"date":"2024-10-19T17:37:52","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T12:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=291349"},"modified":"2024-10-19T17:37:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-19T12:07:52","slug":"bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/","title":{"rendered":"BJP proxy page &#8216;Maha Bighadi&#8217; runs divisive communal political ads ahead of Maharashtra election"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Assembly elections are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/hindi\/articles\/c79ngvzyqrxo\">scheduled in Maharashtra<\/a> for this year, with polling set to take place in a single phase on November 20, followed by vote counting on November 23. However, the preparations for these elections began months ago, and the political environment is rife with propaganda, aggressive rhetoric, and a surge of misinformation and disinformation. Against this backdrop, a Facebook page called \u2018\u092e\u0939\u093e \u092c\u093f\u0918\u093e\u0921\u0940 \u2013 Maha Bighadi\u2019 has emerged as a prominent source of controversial political advertisements. This proxy page, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ads\/library\/?id=1996849300746846\">primarily supports the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)<\/a>, has been aggressively targeting the &#8216;Maha Vikas Aghadi&#8217; alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction). The name &#8216;Maha Bighadi&#8217; itself is a distorted version of &#8216;Maha Vikas Aghadi&#8217;. Alt News has previously exposed such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/exclusive-network-of-pseudo-entitles-running-political-ads-on-facebook-favoring-bjp-and-against-non-bjp-parties\/\">proxy pages<\/a> that were running anonymous BJP propaganda and targeting rival political parties and leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The advertisements run by \u2018\u092e\u0939\u093e \u092c\u093f\u0918\u093e\u0921\u0940 \u2013 Maha Bighadi\u2019 are aggressive in tone and full of misleading content. These advertisements target leaders of rival parties and try to malign them. For example, several advertisements portray Uddhav Thackeray as a \u2018Muslim appeaser\u2019 and Rahul Gandhi as \u2018anti-Hindu\u2019. Many of these advertisements focus on defaming key opposition leaders, using polarising language that aims to sway public opinion by targeting specific communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-291349 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-171101\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"1450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171101.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171101.jpg 690w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171101-143x300.jpg 143w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171101-487x1024.jpg 487w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-171123\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"718\" height=\"1038\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171123.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171123.jpg 718w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171123-208x300.jpg 208w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171123-708x1024.jpg 708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-171140\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"938\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171140.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171140.jpg 724w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171140-232x300.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-171202\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"1014\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171202.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171202.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-171202-213x300.jpg 213w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><b>Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray being prominently targeted<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has been a frequent target of these divisive ads. In one such advertisement, he is portrayed as someone who shuns the Hindu festival of Ganeshotsav but celebrates the Muslim festival of Eid. Another ad takes his statement about providing proper representation to Muslims out of context, falsely suggesting that while his workers are Hindu, he is only offering political tickets to Muslims. Such ads are designed to tarnish Thackeray&#8217;s image, casting him as anti-Hindu.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-291349 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-184711\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"716\" height=\"1120\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-184711.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-184711.jpg 716w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-184711-192x300.jpg 192w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-184711-655x1024.jpg 655w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-184741\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"1092\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-184741.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-184741.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-184741-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-184741-675x1024.jpg 675w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Additionally, many ads have edited images of Uddhav Thackeray, showing him wearing a skullcap typically associated with Muslims, alongside text that accuses him of abandoning Hindutva ideals and supporting the Waqf Board (a Muslim endowment body). These ads attempt to build a narrative that Thackeray no longer aligns with Hindu ideals and instead works in favour of Muslims. This sort of misleading content not only weakens political discourse but also poses a potential threat to social harmony, as it seeks to divide people along religious lines.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-291349 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-170629\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"858\" height=\"758\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170629.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170629.jpg 858w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170629-300x265.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170629-768x678.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-170651\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"826\" height=\"1232\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170651.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170651.jpg 826w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170651-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170651-687x1024.jpg 687w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170651-768x1145.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 826px) 100vw, 826px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-170712\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"824\" height=\"1234\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170712.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170712.jpg 824w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170712-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170712-684x1024.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170712-768x1150.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 824px) 100vw, 824px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-170734\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"1236\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170734.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170734.jpg 820w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170734-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170734-679x1024.jpg 679w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-170734-768x1158.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><b>Glorification of Encounters and Justice Under Fadnavis<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In another set of ads, the page glorifies encounter and presents them as a form of justice. One such example involves the police encounter of <a href=\"https:\/\/navbharattimes.indiatimes.com\/metro\/mumbai\/crime\/badlapur-school-assault-case-locals-residents-said-they-not-allow-akshay-shinde-last-rites-at-manjarli-crematorium\/articleshow\/113669514.cms\">Akshay Shinde<\/a>, the main accused in a sexual harassment case involving two girls in Badlapur, Maharashtra. The page ran an ad celebrating Shinde&#8217;s encounter, framing it as &#8216;justice&#8217; and attributing the outcome to Maharashtra&#8217;s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/maharashtra\/badlapur-encounter-bombay-high-court-says-probe-into-death-of-sexual-assault-case-accused-should-be-fair-impartial\/article68681119.ece\">Bombay High Court<\/a> had earlier rejected the police&#8217;s account of Shinde\u2019s encounter, stating that prima facie, the police&#8217;s story could not be trusted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-09-231032.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In yet another ad, Shinde&#8217;s encounter was portrayed as part of a broader pattern of &#8216;justice&#8217; under Devendra Fadnavis, presenting it in a celebratory tone that amounted to the glorification of murder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-09-231147.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Highly communal advertisement<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The language used in many of these ads is overtly communal, with several directly targeting the minority Muslim community. By invoking fear and appealing to the Hindu majority, these ads foster social division and create an atmosphere of fear and hatred.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For instance, one particularly communal ad uses an AI-generated image of Muslims wearing skull caps, with a mosque in the background. The text reads, \u201cHindus, know the modus operandi of Jihadis \u2013 first they usurp land and carry out &#8216;land jihad&#8217;. Over time, they build an illegal mosque. When the local administration goes to demolish the structure, they incite riots.\u201d This ad explicitly targets Muslims, perpetuating harmful stereotypes about the community. According to Meta\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/transparency.meta.com\/en-gb\/policies\/community-standards\/hate-speech\/\">hate speech policy<\/a>, any content that targets individuals or groups based on protected characteristics\u2014such as religion, caste, or nationality\u2014is strictly prohibited. However, the ads run by \u2018\u092e\u0939\u093e \u092c\u093f\u0918\u093e\u0921\u0940 \u2013 Maha Bighadi\u2019 blatantly violate these guidelines, not only targeting Muslims but also creating an atmosphere of tension and violence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-182024.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Mahalakshmi murder case given misleading communal spin<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Recently, the <a href=\"https:\/\/navbharattimes.indiatimes.com\/state\/karnataka\/bengaluru\/bengaluru-murder-case-after-chopping-mahalaxmi-into-pieces-and-keeping-her-in-the-fridge-son-told-the-truth-to-his-mother\/articleshow\/113722562.cms\">brutal murder<\/a> of a 29-year-old woman named Mahalakshmi in Bengaluru shocked the public. Her mutilated body was found in the refrigerator of her apartment. The page \u2018\u092e\u0939\u093e \u092c\u093f\u0918\u093e\u0921\u0940 \u2013 Maha Bighadi\u2019 ran advertisements with false information, giving the case a communal angle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The graphic in one of the advertisements depicted two refrigerators\u2014one labeled \u2018Shraddha\u2019 and the other \u2018Mahalakshmi\u2019. The refrigerator marked as \u2018Shraddha\u2019 showed her saying, \u201cMera Aftab aisa nahi hai\u201d (My Aftab is not like that), while the one labeled \u2018Mahalakshmi\u2019 depicted her saying in Marathi, \u201cMera Ashraf aisa nahi hai\u201d (My Ashraf is not like that). This graphic plays into the &#8216;love jihad&#8217; conspiracy theory, which is often promoted by right-wing groups in India to suggest that Muslim men form relationships with Hindu women to convert them. The insinuation here was that Muslim men kill their Hindu partners, a claim frequently used to target Muslim communities in interfaith relationships. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moreover, the police investigation revealed that Mahalakshmi was not murdered by a Muslim and there was no communal angle. Hence, this page also promoted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thequint.com\/news\/webqoof\/bengaluru-mahalaxmi-murder-case-given-love-jihad-spin#read-more\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">communal misinformation<\/a> through this advertisement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-09-230945.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In another graphic, the advertisement with a picture of Mahalakshmi promotes misinformation that the accused in the case was a Muslim man. Here too, a communal angle like \u2018love jihad\u2019 is added to it by generalising all Muslim men as murderers of their spouses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-135441.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Hindu deity Ganesha portrayed as prisoner<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On September 13, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deccanherald.com\/india\/karnataka\/bengaluru\/about-40-people-trying-to-stage-protest-in-bengaluru-against-nagamangala-violence-detained-3189726\">protest<\/a> was held at Town Hall in Bengaluru demanding an inquiry into communal clashes during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mandya, Karnataka. Protesters brought an idol of the Hindu deity Ganesha to the protest, which violated city rules requiring demonstrations to be held at Freedom Park. To manage the situation, the police detained around 40 protesters and placed the Ganesha idol in an empty police van for security reasons. The Bengaluru police later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/ganesha-idol-in-bengaluru-police-van-viral-claims-misleading-pm-modi-leads-right-wings-misinformation-campaign\/\">clarified<\/a> that the idol was protected, not detained, and was subsequently immersed in Ulsoor Lake with proper rituals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, this incident was manipulated in an advertisement run by the same page. The graphic showed a police van with the Ganesha idol inside, driven by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, attempting to falsely imply that the idol was trapped. The ad further sought to stir communal tensions by mentioning Tipu Sultan, attempting to connect the Congress party to perceived anti-Hindu sentiment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-09-231215.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many other versions of this incident were also run by this page as advertisements in which the Karnataka government and the Congress party were targeted by presenting Ganesha as a prisoner.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-291349 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-181722-1\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"722\" height=\"922\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-181722-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-181722-1.jpg 722w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-181722-1-235x300.jpg 235w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 722px) 100vw, 722px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/screenshot-2024-10-15-181659\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"718\" height=\"1126\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-181659.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-181659.jpg 718w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-181659-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-181659-653x1024.jpg 653w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><b>Attempt to provoke Hindu community<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In several advertisements, this Facebook page appears to deliberately provoke members of the Hindu community. One such ad features AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi along with party leaders Imtiaz Jaleel and Waris Pathan. The text accompanying the image says, &#8220;First they said just remove the police security for 15 minutes, and now see, now lakhs of people came to Mumbai and shouted slogans of &#8216;Sir tan se juda&#8217; (beheading slogans).&#8221; The caption provocatively asks, &#8220;Hindus, when will you wake up?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-09-230919.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>What is the context of &#8217;15 minutes&#8217;?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This reference stems from a provocative <a href=\"https:\/\/navbharattimes.indiatimes.com\/state\/telangana\/hyderabad\/court-to-hear-plea-against-mim-mla-akbaruddin-owaisi-for-his-hate-speech\/articleshow\/17854840.cms\">speech<\/a> given by AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in 2013, where he allegedly made a statement suggesting that if the police were removed for 15 minutes, his community would show its strength. He had stated, \u201cThere are 25 crore of you and 100 crore of us, let\u2019s remove the police for 15 minutes and we will see who has how much power.\u201d This inflammatory remark has been repeatedly invoked in hate speeches and political contexts to incite anti-Muslim sentiment. More recently, during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP leader and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhaskar.com\/national\/news\/maharashtra-bjp-navneet-rana-vs-aimim-asaduddin-owaisi-akbaruddin-132994046.html\">MP Navneet Rana<\/a> revived the issue, referencing the &#8217;15 minutes&#8217; speech in Hyderabad, stating that they would only need 15 seconds to retaliate. Despite these repeated political uses, in 2022, Akbaruddin Owaisi was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatv.in\/india\/national\/telangana-court-acquits-aimim-mla-akbaruddin-owaisi-in-hate-speech-case-2022-04-13-844742\">acquitted by the court<\/a> by giving a benefit of doubt, which ruled that his speech was presented in fragmented form, the complete speech was not presented.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The page also ran an advertisement stating, &#8220;Hindus, do not forget this scene where AIMIM leaders Waris Pathan and Imtiaz Jaleel openly made threats.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-183548.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Muslims targeted via &#8216;rail jihad&#8217; conspiracy theory<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Facebook page \u2018\u092e\u0939\u093e \u092c\u093f\u0918\u093e\u0921\u0940 \u2013 Maha Bighadi\u2019 has been spreading <a href=\"https:\/\/scroll.in\/article\/1073684\/why-is-social-media-rife-with-conspiracy-theories-about-rail-jihad\">conspiracy theories<\/a> such as \u2018rail jihad\u2019, attempting to portray the entire Muslim community in a negative light. These ads push misleading narratives that falsely depict the Muslim community as perpetrators of train accidents in India. However, official investigations into recent train accidents have <a href=\"https:\/\/scroll.in\/article\/1073684\/why-is-social-media-rife-with-conspiracy-theories-about-rail-jihad\">revealed no such conspiracies<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For instance, on September 22, a goods train traveling from Kanpur to Prayagraj was halted when the driver applied the emergency brakes after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/india\/story\/lpg-cylinder-found-on-railway-tracks-kanpur-another-train-derailment-bid-2604331-2024-09-22\">spotting a gas cylinder<\/a> lying on the tracks. This incident was immediately exploited by the page, which ran ads claiming that this was part of a \u2018communal conspiracy\u2019 orchestrated by Muslims and labeled it as \u2018jihad\u2019, whereas no such thing has come to light in the investigation of the case so far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-09-231237.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Clipped video of Rahul Gandhi, ads with misleading claims<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One advertisement used a five second long clipped video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, paired with an AI-generated voice, to misleadingly suggest that Gandhi was preparing to end the reservation system. The video was cut and edited out of context, presenting a completely inaccurate narrative. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/newsmeter_in\/reel\/C_2QTnnqXKV\/\">Multiple independent fact-checking organisations<\/a>, including <a href=\"https:\/\/hindi.boomlive.in\/fact-check\/haryana-bjp-shared-cropped-video-of-rahul-gandhi-on-reservation-26438\">fact-checking partner<\/a> outlets of Meta (Facebook\u2019s parent company), have debunked the video as misleading. The content being run by \u2018\u092e\u0939\u093e \u092c\u093f\u0918\u093e\u0921\u0940 \u2013 Maha Bighadi\u2019 raises serious questions about Meta&#8217;s advertising standards, and its failure to stop it is a matter of concern.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/hindi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-185931.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ads with such targeted misinformation and communal content go beyond the immediate political scenario. They are done solely with the aim of promoting distrust and hatred towards a community, which can have a profound impact on the social fabric. Such content has also had a widespread impact in the real world. As such divisive rhetoric is pushed by leaders and political parties, the likelihood of violence and communal tension increases in the real world as well. This can have long-term effects on society.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the Maharashtra assembly election day approaches, the flow of misinformation and communal advertising continues to grow. Such activities pose a significant challenge to the democratic process, as voters may be swayed by misinformation rather than making informed choices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alt News has reached out to Meta for a response on October 3 regarding the content run by this page. As of now, we have not received a response from the company. We will update this report with Meta&#8217;s response, when we receive one.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Assembly elections are scheduled in Maharashtra for this year, with polling set to take place in a single phase on November 20, followed by vote counting on November 23. However, the preparations for these elections began months ago, and the political environment is rife with propaganda, aggressive rhetoric, and a surge of misinformation and disinformation. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":291382,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,46],"tags":[693],"an_content_type":[],"coauthors":[701],"class_list":["post-291349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-technology","tag-featured","fact_checks_claim_type-economics"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>BJP proxy page &#039;Maha Bighadi&#039; runs divisive communal political ads ahead of Maharashtra election - Alt News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BJP proxy page &#039;Maha Bighadi&#039; runs divisive communal political ads ahead of Maharashtra election - Alt News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Assembly elections are scheduled in Maharashtra for this year, with polling set to take place in a single phase on November 20, followed by vote counting on November 23. However, the preparations for these elections began months ago, and the political environment is rife with propaganda, aggressive rhetoric, and a surge of misinformation and disinformation. [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Alt News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/altnews.in\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AbhishekNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-19T12:07:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/BJP-Proxy-page-running-divisive-political-ads-via-Meta-in-Maharashtra-ahead-of-elections.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Abhishek Kumar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AbhishekSay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AltNews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Abhishek Kumar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/bjp-proxy-page-maha-bighadi-runs-divisive-communal-political-ads-via-meta-ahead-of-maharashtra-election\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Abhishek Kumar\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3b0bd4d12615ff9f530bfae06e65fff5\"},\"headline\":\"BJP proxy page &#8216;Maha Bighadi&#8217; 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