India’s main opposition party, Congress, has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of hate speech after he called Muslims ‘infiltrators’ at a rally on Sunday. Modi’s remarks, which also included accusations that Muslims have more children to distribute wealth among, have been condemned by critics as peddling anti-Muslim tropes.
The Congress party has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI), which oversees the six-week voting period, calling Modi’s remarks ‘deeply objectionable.’ The ECI’s model code of conduct forbids candidates from engaging in any activity that aggravates religious tensions.
Critics of Modi, an avowed Hindu nationalist, say India’s tradition of diversity and secularism has come under attack since his party won power in 2014. They accuse Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of fostering religious intolerance and sometimes even violence. The BJP denies these accusations, saying their policies benefit all Indians.
However, rights groups say attacks against minorities have become more brazen under Modi. Hindu mobs have lynched scores of Muslims over allegations of eating beef or smuggling cows, an animal considered holy to Hindus. Muslim businesses have been boycotted, their homes and businesses have been bulldozed, and places of worship have been set on fire.
Modi’s remarks on Sunday were based on a 2006 statement by then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the Congress party. Singh said that India’s lower-castes, tribes, women, and ‘in particular the Muslim minority’ were empowered to share in the country’s development equally. A day later, his office clarified that Singh was referring to all disadvantaged groups.
According to most surveys, Modi and his BJP are expected to win. The results of the election will be announced on June 4.
