Sambit Patra is a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and its National spokesperson. He is a staunch Hindutva supporter and often targets minorities and Muslim politicians as a panelist on TV debates. In some of the debates, his comments are mired with blatant Islamophobia, communal hate & bigotry.

He is the most visible spokesperson of the BJP. He is best known for his appearances as a party representative on television debates and snide remarks against the opposition and Muslims. But another skill that should feature on his resume, if he ever prepares one, is his propensity to misinform.

Patra has over four million followers on Twitter – a platform he routinely misuses to share false news. He has also often been found promoting misinformation on national television.

Here are some of the instances when his propaganda fuelled misinformation:

https://thewire.in/politics/bjp-sambit-patra-fake-news-propaganda

He led a sustained online campaign on social media and TV channels to malign the anti-Citizenship movement. He once used words like “kathmulla” (a derogatory term for Muslims) to address his Muslim opponent in a debate. In another discussion, he told a Muslim panelist to keep quiet or he would rename a mosque after Lord Vishnu’s name.

In February 2020, Patra tweeted a fake video of ex-INC MLA Naseem Khan chanting ‘Pakistan Zindabad,’ which made the latter file a police complaint against Patra in Mumbai. In the same month, during a TV debate, he said, “Wake up, Hindus; otherwise, you will be chopped!”

He often targets Christians by calling them ‘rice bag convert.’ Rice bag is a slur that is specifically targeted at Christians in India. It is a politically colored narrative that paints Christians as “sellouts” for few perks.

References:

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/fact-check-sambit-patra-shares-old-provocative-speech-by-muslim-cleric-amid-anti-caa-protests-801326.html

https://thewire.in/politics/bjp-sambit-patra-fake-news-propaganda

https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/11/10/sambit-patra-national-trollsperson-of-bjp-does-it-again

https://twocircles.net/2020sep05/438902.html

https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/muslim-hotel-fine-but-not-hindu-fruit-shop-sambit-patra-questions-jharkhand-polices-partiality
https://theprint.in/hoaxposed/sambit-patra-shares-fake-video-of-ex-congress-mla-asks-followers-to-fact-check-it/361630/