Mahant Balaknath Yogi, a senior BJP leader and MLA from Tijara constituency in Rajasthan, has built his political profile on openly communal speeches and consistent targeting of Muslims in both word and action.

On September 5, 2023, at a Hindu nationalist gathering in Udaipur, he called Muslims “monsters” and warned of beheading those who, according to him, create “disunity.” On November 11, during a campaign rally in Tijara’s Shekhpur Jatt village, Balaknath reduced the election to an “India-Pakistan match,” positioning his Muslim opponent, Congress’ Imran Khan, as the enemy. He assured voters that a temple and cremation ground would be built after elections, using polarizing promises to rally support in a region with a sizable Meo Muslim population.

His hate speeches continued as he accused Muslims of following “Talibani” ideologies and claimed they were responsible for the region’s backwardness. On November 22, 2023, Balaknath held a private meeting with Monu Manesar’s cow vigilante gang, a group linked to violence against Muslims in the name of cow protection. Just a day later, on November 23, in the run-up to the Tijara state assembly election, he again attacked Muslims, accusing the Congress government of appeasement by compensating the family of a Muslim man killed on charges of cow smuggling, while allegedly ignoring Hindu victims.

In April 2024, Balaknath used the killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal by two Muslim men as a campaign weapon in Sirohi, Rajasthan, claiming that Hindu girls were being raped and murdered while Muslim criminals received state sympathy. He accused the Congress of giving preferential treatment to Muslim areas, citing improved utilities during Ramadan as evidence. In Neem Ka Thana district, he once again invoked the Kanhaiya Lal murder case to provoke communal emotions and secure Hindu votes.

Balaknath models himself after Yogi Adityanath, donning saffron robes and leading the Mastnath Mutt in Haryana. Like the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, he uses religious symbolism such as holding over 50 rallies atop bulldozers to position himself as a Hindutva strongman. His political strategy has relied heavily on demonizing Muslims, promoting majoritarian dominance, and stoking religious hostility across Rajasthan.