CSW shares the concerns of thousands of Indian citizens and activists regarding comments made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech delivered while campaigning for the Indian general assembly elections in Rajasthan's Banswara District on 21 April.
In his address to the gathering, Prime Minister Modi stated that the opposition Indian National Congress (INC) Party’s manifesto aimed to distribute the land and property of Indian citizens to ‘infiltrators,’ who have ‘more numbers of children’, in what many have seen as a reference to the Muslim community, who are the biggest religious minority in India and make up at least 14% of the population.
Prime Minister Modi also claimed that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a member of the INC, had announced during his tenure that Muslims should have the first right to assets of the country. This was found to be a false accusation by several fact check reports.
The prime minister’s language has alarmed thousands of Indian citizens who feel it was a clear and obvious attempt to incite communal hatred and division. According to an Indian news source, over 17,400 citizens had signed letters of complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) expressing their grievances about the content of the speech as of 22 April.
One of the complaints was filed by the INC, in which the party accused the prime minister of using religion and religious symbols to fuel animosity between communities, stating: ‘The only available remedy compatible with the principle of zero tolerance towards allegations of corrupt practices, is the disqualification of the candidates who try to create a divide between different classes of the citizens of India regardless of the stature or position of that candidate.’
Another letter signed by 17,421 people including several human rights and minority rights activists said: ‘Narendra Modi blatantly violated this code [Model Code of Conduct for elections] and the Representation of the Peoples Act (RPA), 1951 by making a speech in one of his election meetings at Banswara in the state of Rajasthan aiming at not only appealing to ‘communal feelings’ but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims.’
In response to the widespread outcry, the ECI requested that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) provide a response to the complaints filed against the prime minister by 29 April, however the BJP has since requested an additional week to respond. INC leaders claim that this could be a litmus test for the ECI and not taking any action could blemish its reputation and constitutional obligation.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘It is disquieting to witness the leader of the world’s largest democracy making remarks that are clearly discriminatory. In a country that is already experiencing a concerning rise in hate speech and targeted attacks against religious minorities, Prime Minister Modi’s remarks will only kindle further intolerance against such communities, particularly Muslims. We urge the Election Commission of India to take measures to carry out an impartial and unbiased investigation into the prime minister’s comments, and to ensure that the principles of democracy are upheld.’
Note to Editors:
- The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the ECI which states that: ‘No party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic... There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes. Mosques, Churches, Temples or other places of worship shall not be used as a forum for election propaganda.’