– ‘Threat’ -More than 450 hate speeches were delivered by leaders of the BJP, with Modi himself responsible for 63 of them, the report said.The BJP did not respond to AFP’s request to comment on the report ahead of its publication, but has in the past rejected such accusations as false.”Muslims, in particular, were portrayed as an existential threat to Hindus and the Indian nation,” the report said.”The most alarming rise was in speeches advocating for the destruction of places of worship,” the report added.Hindu supremacists have upped the ante demading religious sites be taken from Muslims.That escalated after Modi inaugurated a grand temple to the deity Ram ahead of last year’s vote, built on the grounds of a centuries-old mosque razed by a mob backed by the BJP.Facebook, YouTube and X were the major platforms for dissemination, according to IHL’s analysis.IHL said 266 “anti-minority hate speeches delivered by senior BJP leaders” during the elections were simultaneously broadcast across YouTube, Facebook and X through the official accounts of the party and its leaders.India Hate Lab is part of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), a non-profit think tank.Modi will be in Paris on Monday to co-host a summit on artificial intelligence alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, before heading to Washington on Wednesday to meet with US President Donald Trump.The Indian and US leaders, both of whom critics accuse of authoritarian tendencies, enjoyed warm relations when Trump was in the White House from 2017 to 2021.
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