AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The Indian National Congress has accused the Union government led by Narendra Modi of using public funds to financially support an event at which inflammatory speeches targeting the Muslim community were delivered, saying the move has resulted in the “mainstreaming of hate.”
According to Indian media reports, Dr. Ragini Nayak Basoya, spokesperson for the Congress party, stated at a press conference on February 18, 2026, in New Delhi that the event titled “Sanatan Rashtra Shankhnaad Mahotsav,” held in December 2025 by Sanatan Sanstha, received approximately 6.4 million rupees from the Union Ministry of Culture.
Basoya said details of the financial assistance were obtained through a public information request, adding that the grant was allocated under programs marking the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram.
She asserted that several speakers at the event described Muslims as “infiltrators,” discussed methods of religious conversion, and called for the large-scale expulsion of Muslims and the establishment of a “Hindu Rashtra.” Presenting such divisive positions at a gathering funded by public money, she said, indicates that hate speech has shifted from the fringes to the political mainstream.
The Congress spokesperson also pointed to the presence of Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Shripad Yesso Naik, and Sanjay Seth, along with Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, arguing that their attendance conferred legitimacy on the gathering.
Criticizing what she described as the “misuse of Sanatan philosophy,” Basoya said the tradition emphasizes coexistence and harmony rather than exclusion and division. She called on Modi, India’s Prime Minister, to clarify the rationale behind the allocation of the funds and to state whether the government supports the polarization of society.
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