Samajwadi Party MLA Mehboob Ali has come under fire for allegedly stating at a public gathering in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, that BJP rule ‘would come to an end soon’ due to the increasing Muslim population. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted a video where Ali is heard saying, “अब तुम्हारा राज ख़तम हो जाएगा, आबादी बढ़ रही है मुसलमानों की इतनी… और आगे सत्ता में आ जाएंगे” (Translation: “Now your rule will end, the Muslim population is increasing… and they will come to power in the future.”) Malviya called Ali’s remarks a ‘threat to BJP’. (Archive)
अमरोहा से सपा विधायक महबूब अली ने बिजनौर में हो रही “संविधान सम्मान” सभा में बेहद भड़काऊ और आपत्तिजनक बयान दिया है।
सपा विधायक ने भाजपा को धमकाते हुए कहा कि अब तुम्हारा राज खत्म हो जाएगा, क्योंकि मुस्लिम आबादी अब बढ़ रही है।
बताइए ऐसे-कैसे चलेगा? pic.twitter.com/BsvxnwHTYd
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 30, 2024
According to a video statement released by Bijnor Police, an FIR was filed against Ali for his purported comments at Kotwali City police station.
#BijnorPolice
सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल वीडियो के सम्बंध में थाना कोतवाली शहर पर सुसंगत धाराओं में अभियोग पंजीकृत कर अग्रिम कार्यवाही की जा रही है । इस सम्बंध में क्षेत्राधिकारी नगर, जनपद बिजनौर की बाइट ।#UPPolice pic.twitter.com/V22G1UMAO7— Bijnor Police (@bijnorpolice) September 30, 2024
Several media houses, including news agencies ANI and PTI and mainstream outlets like Republic Bharat, Zee News, Economic Times, Times of India, NDTV, ABP Live, ETV Bharat, The Hindu, Live Mint and India.com, reported that the MLA had said BJP rule would end because of the rising Muslim population.
Several mainstream news channels also aired bulletins on this issue. Anchor Anjana Om Kashyap of Aaj Tak said ministers like Ali were running their political businesses in the name of religion. (Archive)
Times Now also reported on this issue. The clip was played by the channel, followed by a panel discussion on the issue. A video statement by BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla was aired where he claimed that the Samajwadi Party’s ‘hidden agenda’ had been exposed. (Archive)
Hindi news channels India TV and Times Now Navbharat also aired the viral clip while reporting on the issue, as did regional news channels like Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, News18 Uttarakhand and News18 Uttar Pradesh.
Journalist Rahul Shivshankar tweeted the viral video with the same claim. It is pertinent to note that Rahul Shivshankar has been fact-checked by Alt News several times in the past. (Archive)
“Your rule will come to an end. Population (abaadi) of Muslims is rising. We’ll come to power.” SP MLA Mehboob Ali warns U.P CM Yogi Adityanath.
Regime change through weaponisation of demography reeks of a Ghazwa-e-Hind mindset straight out of medieval era.
Listen carefully: pic.twitter.com/oeapRpapct— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) September 30, 2024
Popular Right-wing publication Swarajya and Right-wing propaganda outlet OpIndia, too, claimed that Samajwadi Party MLA Mehboob Ali had ‘threatened’ BJP with the increasing Muslim population in India.
The video was also amplified by several Twitter influencers, including BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, the RSS-run Panchjanya, journalist Dilip Mandal, News 18 journalist Anand Narasimhan, Anshul Saxena and serial misinformation spreaders @MrSinha_ and @TimesAlgebraIND.
Fact Check
Alt News found that the video used by the media outlets in reports claiming that SP MLA Mehboob Ali had made controversial, communal remarks in Bijnor, was cropped. In the full, uncropped video of his speech, one can see that Ali did not say that the Muslim population was increasing. Instead, he attributed this claim to the Right Wing, without naming a party, accusing them of using the narrative to scare the public. Therefore, the claim that Ali stated the Muslim population was growing and that BJP rule would soon end was actually him referencing how the Right Wing used this narrative as a scare tactic.
Below is the uncropped video, followed by a transcription of the relevant part.
“Har vyakti mulk mein aman chahta hai. Har vyakti mulk mein shanti chahta hai, hum bhaichara, mohabbat ke saath rehna chahte hain. Amanparasti ke upar humare liye kuch bhi nahi hai. lekin, yahin kuch log aate hai, ab pratishat badh raha hai. kaan mein kahenge, jhola dalke aayenge, ‘aane wale waqton mein sambhal jao. ab tumhara raaz khatam ho jayega. abadi badh rahi hai musalmanon ki itni… aur aagey satta mein aa jayenge…’ Yeh kaam toh mughalon ki bas ki nahi hai jo 850 saal hukumat kar gaye. unki haisiyat kuch nahi hui. Aaj gumrah karke desh ko chalane wale ye aitvar kar lein ki Hindustan ka awaam jag chuka hai, parliament mein bhi jawab diya hai aur aane wale 2027 mein aap jayenge zaroor. aur inshallah hum (Samajwadi Party) aayenge zaroor…’
Translation: Every person in the country wants peace. We want to live together with brotherhood and love… there is nothing which is more important to us than our love of peace.. but some people come… their numbers are increasing.. they will tell you.. they will arrive with their bags and say, ‘Mend yourselves in the time to come… your rule is about to end… the Muslim population is increasing, and they will come to power soon.’ Even the Mughals, who ruled for 850 years, couldn’t do this… even they did not have that power (to rule the entire country forever). Those who are ruling the country today by fooling people, should know this: The people of India have woken up, even in Parliament, they have given their answer. And by 2027, you will surely go, and Inshallah, we will come.”
Alt News spoke to the MLA’s son, Parvez Ali, who said, “My father, a six-time MLA, four-time cabinet minister, and senior leader of the Samajwadi Party, was recently the chief guest at an event organized by the party in Bijnor. During his speech, he emphasized that the country desires peace, but certain groups — referring to RSS and BJP workers — attempt to instill fear by spreading the false narrative that the Muslim population is growing uncontrollably. He pointed out that these workers visit villages to propagate this misinformation. He also highlighted how those in power, who govern by misleading the public, have been confronted in Parliament, and confidently stated that in the 2027 elections, the BJP will be ousted, and the Samajwadi Party will come to power. Unfortunately, many media outlets took a single line from his speech out of context and broadcast it, distorting his message.”
Hence, it is clear that SP MLA Mehboob Ali did not ‘threaten’ the BJP with increasing Muslim population. He mentioned the viral statement as an instance of how the narrative of an increasing Muslim population was used as a scare tactic by some to gain votes. Almost all major media houses published false reports based on a clipped video capturing a part of his statement.
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