Mukesh Tanve

Mukesh is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member and ex-BJP Minister of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. He is the husband of current BJP MLA Kanchan Tanve. He has made casteist statements about sexual assault and propagates conspiracy theories about a genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh.

In October 2024, a 19-year-old Dalit woman from a village near Khandwa, was allegedly doused in petrol and set on fire by Arjun, the son of Mangilal, a local resident whom she had reported had attempted to sexually assault her. Although Arjun was arrested and charged with attempted murder, Tanve suggested that the woman might have set herself on fire out of fear. 

“A young girl from a village under our Kotwali police station attempted suicide. Four days earlier, someone had tried to violate her dignity, and while a case was filed and action was taken, the accused was granted bail. It’s unclear what fears led her to douse herself in kerosene and set herself on fire,” Tanve stated.

Tanve regularly posts pictures and videos of service to the community which he seems to preside over in place of his wife, who is the elected MLA of the region. He also pushes “Sanatan Dharma” in his videos, a philosophical concept referring to a Hindu way of life. He has also posted a video urging people to attend a rally protesting against what he claims is the “Genocide of Hindus of Bangladesh” and the alleged destruction of temples which “All Hindu society will not tolerate.”