Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday dismissed a report branding him India’s most prolific hate speech actor in 2025, declaring he "accepts the tag" if speaking out against perceived threats to the state constitutes hate speech. The statement came during his Republic Day address, responding to the India Hate Lab (IHL) findings.
The IHL’s annual Report 2025: Hate Speech Events in India, published by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), identified Dhami as the top offender with 71 recorded speeches. It documented 1,318 in-person hate speech events targeting religious minorities, mainly Muslims and Christians, across 21 states, a 13% rise from 2024 and 97% from 2023. Of these, 98% (1,289) focused on Muslims, either exclusively (1,156 cases) or alongside Christians (133 cases).
Dhami defended his rhetoric by questioning illegal infiltration, forced conversions, and violence in Uttarakhand. "Should there be illegal infiltration in Uttarakhand? Should there be forced conversion in Uttarakhand? Shouldn’t there be a law for those who spread violence in Uttarakhand? The future of our kids was getting uncertain. Isn’t it our responsibility that we give the future generation of the state a safe Uttarakhand?" he asked the crowd. He also referenced conspiracies like "love jihad" to justify his stance against the Muslim community, framing his comments as protective measures.
The IHL report noted that 88% of incidents (1,164) occurred in BJP-ruled states, BJP-led NDA states, or BJP-administered Union Territories. In response to Dhami’s remarks, IHL affirmed it would "continue to monitor the situation facing minority communities in Uttarakhand and hold leaders accountable," warning that "impunity cannot go on indefinitely."
Just days after the report, Dhami reiterated his hardline position on Saturday, railing against religious conversions, riots, "love jihad," "land jihad," and "thook jihad."