BJP MP, MLAs top hate speech cases list

Fifty-eight current MPs and MLAs, almost half of them belonging to the ruling BJP, face cases of hate speech after they spewed venom to further their political agenda, a report said on Wednesday.

These 58 include Union minister Uma Bharti and eight state ministers, the analysis prepared by private election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which demanded that parties should not give tickets to such candidates and cases against them should be fast-tracked and decided upon in a time-bound manner.

Of the 58, the analysis showed that 15 are sitting Lok Sabha members, including BJP stalwarts L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi as well as the AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaissi, while not a single Rajya Sabha MP is on the list.

The analysis showed that BJP has 27 lawmakers — 17 MLAs and 10 MPs — who have hate speech cases against them followed distantly by the AIMIM and the TRS with six each lawmakers.

The Congress has two MLAs, including one in Karnataka, with a case of hate speech slapped against them though it has no such in Madhya Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of 15 lawmakers in this category and closely followed by Telangana with 13.

In the hall of shame, Karnataka has five lawmakers — three MPs and two MLAs.

Two BJP MPs — Suresh Angadi and Nalin Kumar Katil — three MLAs — Sanjay B Patil (BJP), Qamarul Islam (Congress), Sambhaj Lakshman Patil (Independent).

The analysis also showed 198 candidates with hate speech cases contested Assembly, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the past five years.

Recognised parties tickets to 141 such people followed by unrecognised parties 29. Twenty-eight independents with such cases also fought elections in the past five years.