A cropped video showing Rakesh Tikait raising the chant of 'Allah Hu Akbar' from the dais at the 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' held in Muzaffarnagar on September 5, 2021 is viral on social media with misleading claims.
The cropped video is being shared by right-wing social media users with captions purportedly claiming that Tikait is resorting to Muslim appeasement in the name of farmers protest.
On September 5, farm leaders driving the agitation against the Central government's three farm laws since several months descended in UP's Muzaffarnagar staging a show of strength. According to an Indian Express report, the event was organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmers' unions leading the protest since past nine months.
Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union was one of the key speakers at the Sunday's Mahapanchayat. The viral video is being shared against this backdrop.
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Twitter user Aditya Trivedi tweeted a clip where Tikait can be seen speaking from the dais. He says, "If government's like this are there in the country they will work to manufacture riots. Earlier too when Tikait Sahab was there slogans were raised... Allah hu Akbar...Allah hu Akbar... such slogans were raised'.
(Hindi: इस तरह की अगर सरकारें देश में होंगी तो ये दंगे करवाने का काम करेगी ..पहले भी नारे लगते थे जब टिकैत साहब थे... अल्लाह हू अकबर..अल्लाह हू अकबर के नारे लगते थे)
Trivedi shared the video with a Hindi caption translating to 'Tikait arrived in Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat, raised slogans of Allah Hu Akbar! Is this a farmers' movement? Is this anti-Modi-Yogi or support for something specific?'.
(Hindi: मुजफ्फरनगर महापंचायत में पहुंचे टिकैत, लगायें अल्लाह हू अकबर के नारे! ये किसान आंदोलन है? ये मोदी- योगी का विरोध है या किसी विशेष चीज़ को समर्थन?)
Right wing columnist Shefali Vaidya tweeted the video with a caption 'Cute. Tikait and Taliban speak the exact same language'.
The video is viral on Facebook with similar captions.
Caption with Facebook post: Tikait is a disgrace in the name of Jats. To get political mileage, he is making people chant the slogans of Allah hu Akbar
Fact Check
BOOM found the video of Tikait's speech broadcast live on his official Facebook page where he can be seen speaking from the dais.
At timestamp 11.24, Tikait can be heard saying 'If government's like this are there in the country they will work to manufacture riots. Earlier too when Tikait Sahab was there slogans were raised... Allah hu Akbar...Allah hu Akbar... such slogans were raised'.
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When Tikait raises the slogan of Allah Hu Akbar, the crowd responds with Har Har Mahadev and Allah Hu Akbar.
Tikait then continues his speech saying 'Chants of Har Har Mahadev and Allah Hu AKbar were raised on the same land. These chants will always be raised. Riots won't happen again. The will try to divide, we will try to unite. Don't be in a misbelief. This country is ours, this state is ours, these districts are ours'.
(Hindi: हर हर महादेव और अल्लाह हु अकबर के नारे इसी धरती से लगते थे. ये नारे हमेशा लगते रहेंगे. दंगा यहां पर नहीं होगा. ये तोड़ने का काम करेंगे हम जोड़ने का काम करेंगे. किसी ग़लतफ़हमी में मत रहना ये देश हमारा है, ये प्रदेश हमारा है, ये ज़िले हमारे हैं)
Muzaffarnagar had been the epicentre of Hindu-Muslim communal riots in 2013. Clashes erupted on September 7, 2013 in Muzaffarnagar and claimed at least 50 lives.
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