Islamophobic Remarks :
Akhileshwaranand Giri, commonly called Mahamandaleshwar Swami, is a Hindu monk from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, who is linked with the BJP and RSS. In the cabinet of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, he holds the positions of Minister of State and Cabinet Minister for the state of Madhya Pradesh. He exerted such influence that the state government of Madhya Pradesh created a ministry dedicated to cow protection. He serves as the current chair of the Madhya Pradesh State Gau Samvardhan Board, which is in charge of protecting cows and appears to be endorsing violent forms of vigilantism.
Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) preacher Giri took an active part in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which resulted in the destruction of the iconic Babri Mosque and the deaths of about two thousand Muslims nationwide. As the construction of the disputed Ram Mandir in Ayodhya began in 2020, Giri took up the position of chairman of the state-level committee of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), spearheading the temple’s fund-raising activities.
Giri, a well-known hard-line Hindu leader who is regarded as a “spiritual guru,” is frequently called to speak at different events across the nation, where he shamelessly encourages anti-Muslim prejudice and spreads unfounded conspiracy theories to malign the weaker religious minority.
Giri suggested a possible ban on the use of loudspeakers during the Azan (Muslim call to prayer) in an interview with the news station IBC24 in April 2022. He claimed that the practice is out of line with ancient Islamic customs. He mockingly said that Muslims should not object to others listening to the Hanuman Chalisa (the god Hanuman’s hymns), citing the common Hindu supremacist practice of playing music with genocidal lyrics outside mosques and asserting that Hindus are “made to listen to the Azan.”
Giri vigorously attacked Muslim movie star Shahrukh Khan and his most recent film “Pathan” in December 2022, calling on Khan to leave India because of the movie’s humanization of Pakistanis. Additionally, he took issue with a song in the film that featured Deepika Padukone in an orange bikini, saying it violated the Hindu religion’s association of the color orange with the sun god Surya.
He made threats of violence against Muslims over fabricated accusations of “Love Jihad” during an anti-Muslim speech he gave in October 2023 in Udupi, Karnataka, at an event hosted by the Hindu extremist outfit Bajrang Dal.