Tel Lagao Dabur Ka, Naam Mitao Babur Ka

This Hindi slogan roughly translates to “Apply Dabur oil, erase Babur’s name.” Playing on the advertising jingle of Dabur, a well-known Indian brand that sells hair oil and other products, the slogan calls for the erasure of all traces of the Mughal emperor Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babur from India’s public and cultural spaces. Beyond its rhyme, the phrase serves as a metaphorical call for the symbolic and ideological obliteration of Muslims, whom Hindu nationalists label as the “descendants of Babur,” and therefore as outsiders, foreigners, and heirs of historical invaders in India.

Background and Context

The slogan first surfaced during the Ram Temple-Babri Mosque movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, popularized by Hindu nationalist groups and leaders at mass rallies demanding the demolition of the historic mosque. The slogan has long since become a war cry and a regular feature of anti-Muslim hate speeches and rallies over the past decade and is often used to incite mass violence against Muslims.

Impact and Harm

This slogan promotes the erasure of Muslim identity by equating historical figures like Babur with present-day Indian Muslims, portraying them as illegitimate residents and perpetual outsiders in their own country.

Variants and Alternative Forms

तेल लगाओ डाबर का नाम मिटाओ बाबर का