THE latest outrageous remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the Muslim population of his own country explain why minorities in India feel increasingly insecure under BJP-rule. Modi has deliberately made Muslims target of his hate speech just to attract votes of Hindu majority but in the process sent shockwaves among Muslims, who constitute over 20% of the country’s population but have been relegated to a status of second-class citizens.
Modi’s Islamophobic statements attracted condemnation from members of the opposition and Muslim leaders. In the hate-infused statement, Modi alleged that the opposition party, the Indian National Congress, would distribute the country’s wealth among Muslims. He dubbed Muslims as “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”. There is no doubt that Modi is trying to brighten his electoral prospects by making extremist statements against Muslims but Muslims feel threatened because of their bitter experience of life during tenure of Modi. Apart from a direct encouragement to extremist Hindus who openly discriminate against and persecute Muslims in different ways, the Modi Government too has been implementing a Hindutva agenda. This is not propaganda as, for decades, Muslims have faced discrimination in employment and education and encountered barriers to achieving wealth and political power besides being disproportionate victims of communal violence. Their plight turned particularly worrisome ever since the assumption of power by Modi in 2014 as his Government pushed controversial policies that critics say explicitly ignore Muslims’ rights, restrict religious freedom and are intended to disenfranchise millions of Muslims. By making insidious remarks, Modi has openly subscribed to the venomous propaganda of extremist Hindus that Muslims are producing more children as part of ‘population Jihad’ to occupy the country. Similarly, by dubbing them as ‘infiltrators’, the PM has also encouraged those who want all except Hindus to leave India. It is because of his highly inflammatory speeches and discriminatory policies that forced Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to say “In the history of India, no prime minister has lowered the dignity of his post as much as Modi has.” Modi has been championing policies intended to make India a Hindu state considering Indian Muslims as suspect foreigners. All this is well documented and a fit case for the international community to take up at all important forums especially those meant to safeguard human rights.
