A former lawmaker from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked widespread outrage after a video emerged of him urging Hindu men to “bring Muslim girls” in exchange for government jobs.
Raghvendra Pratap Singh, a former BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Domariyaganj in Uttar Pradesh, made the remarks during a public gathering earlier this week, according to footage circulating on social media.
In the clip, Singh can be heard saying: “The Hindu boy who brings a Muslim girl, we will arrange a job for him.” His comments were met with chants of “Jai Shri Ram” – a slogan widely used by Hindu nationalist groups – as he asked the crowd, “How many young men are ready?”
Singh, who no longer holds office but remains a local BJP figure, has previously made inflammatory statements targeting Muslims. His latest remarks have reignited concerns about the normalisation of hate speech and anti-Muslim rhetoric under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule.
Opposition condemnation
Sanjay Singh, national spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), denounced the comments as “a direct incitement to criminality” and demanded immediate police action.
He posted on X (formerly Twitter): “If a leader publicly urges abduction and forced conversion, the law must follow. We cannot have a double standard where the UP police file cases against Muslims on flimsy grounds but look the other way when Hindu leaders incite violence. Arrest him now or the claim that law is equal for all will ring hollow.”
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He added: “Which Hindu parent would want their son to be celebrated for abducting a girl? Is this the identity we want for Hinduism — one tied to coercion and criminality?”
Legal experts and rights advocates say the remarks, if verified, could amount to criminal offences including incitement, abduction, hate speech, and attempted forced conversion.
“Such speeches are not mere rhetoric; they endanger Muslim women and legitimise criminal acts,” said a local human rights lawyer. “Authorities must file a case and ensure these provocations don’t translate into real-world violence.”
Pattern of hate speech
The controversy follows a string of similar statements by Hindu nationalist figures across the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in recent years. Several Hindutva leaders have been caught on video offering money, rewards, or government jobs to Hindu men who “trap Muslim girls” or marry them.
Such rhetoric is often framed as retaliation against the so-called “love jihad” conspiracy theory — a debunked claim that Muslim men seduce Hindu women to convert them to Islam.
Activists warn that this has evolved into a phenomenon known as the “Bhagwa Love Trap,” in which Hindu nationalist networks encourage Hindu men to target Muslim women online and offline as a form of revenge or “reclamation”.
Reports suggest some of these groups operate through social media, allegedly training Hindu men to create fake profiles, pose as Muslims, and lure Muslim women into relationships before revealing their identities. Victims are often pressured into marriage or publicly humiliated if they resist.
Women’s rights campaigners say such organised harassment fuels communal hatred and exposes Muslim women to serious psychological and physical harm.
Selective enforcement
Critics say the episode reflects the culture of impunity enjoyed by Hindu nationalist figures in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Opposition parties and rights groups have long accused the state government of using police powers to target Muslims and political dissenters while ignoring hate speech from within its own ranks.
Uttar Pradesh — India’s most populous state — has seen a sharp rise in anti-Muslim violence, hate speech, and home demolitions targeting Muslim communities in recent years.
Rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have warned that the trend is deepening religious polarisation and eroding the rule of law.
As of now, neither the Uttar Pradesh police nor the BJP have commented on the incident.
