Tension flares in India after Modi's anti-Muslim hate speech amid elections

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing accusations of "hate speech" against Muslims after he made controversial comments calling the community “infiltrators” amidst ongoing general elections.

Addressing a crowd at a rally in the western state of Rajasthan on Sunday, Modi claimed that if the country's main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, is voted to power, “they will gather all your wealth and distribute it among those who have more children, to the infiltrators,” an apparent reference to Muslims.

On Monday, the Congress party lodged a petition with the Election Commission of India (ECI), urging them to take action against Modi for his remarks about Muslims, which the party deemed as "deeply objectionable" and in violation of election regulations.

"The higher the position he holds, the more the obligation he holds to exercise restraint. Unfortunately, the statement he quoted, it is seriously objectionable," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

"We can never expect this from the PM. We would pray to him with folded hands to withdraw these comments and clarify," he added.

The Congress also challenged Modi, 73, to present a single paragraph from its manifesto that addresses the redistribution of wealth to the Muslim community.

“Should your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators?” Modi asked the cheering crowd in the Sunday rally.

Modi's remarks against the followers of Islam mark the first time he directly targets Muslims, India's largest minority, ever since he held office as prime minister in 2014, as when it comes to attacking Muslims, he usually avoids being in the limelight and instead lets his other party members do the dirty job.

He made the comments alluding to a commitment made in 2006 by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the Congress party, where he emphasized the importance of economically empowering the minorities in India.

His Islamophobic speech comes amid the ongoing general elections, which kicked off on Friday, where the opposition parties are trying their best to uproot the leader.

'Millions of citizens disturbed'

On Monday, thousands of Indian citizens penned two letters to the ECI, urging measures to be taken against Modi.

The speech “has disturbed the sentiments of millions of Constitution respecting citizens of India,” said a group in a petition to the poll panel.

“The speech is dangerous and a direct attack on the Muslims of India.”

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Another letter by the Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan (save the constitution campaign), signed by more than 17,400 people, said that Modi had “blatantly violated this code (Model Code of Conduct)” and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, by making a speech “aiming at not only appealing to ‘communal feelings’ but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims”.

The letter also told the poll panel that Modi “has the potential of tearing apart the social fabric of India” and called for a ban on his campaign “as has been done earlier for violations of this nature”.

Although it is being held accountable, and urged for action against Modi, the ECI in its reply declined to comment over the matter.

The ECI is tasked with ensuring free and fair elections, and it acts as a watchdog for hate speeches and communal hatred spread by contesting leaders during elections.

Netizens took to social media and criticized the ECI for being blindfolded against communal remarks.

Rana Ayyub, a well-known Indian journalist, who had previously uncovered the involvement of Modi and his party in the 2002 Gujarat genocide against Muslims when he served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, described his speech on Sunday as his “most dangerous speech.”

"This is Prime Minister Modi’s most dangerous speech, a direct attack against Muslims of India. This is the man who talks about the virtues of democracy at international platforms," Ayyub said in a post on a social media platform on Sunday.

According to analysts, both Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have been synonymous for their anti-Muslim stance, which allows them to woo the majority-Hindu votebank.

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