New Delhi: Of the 173 speeches Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered after the model code of conduct (MCC) came into force in March, 110 contained Islamophobic remarks, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday, August 14.
These Islamophobic remarks were “apparently intended to undermine the political opposition, which he said only promoted Muslim rights, and to foster fear among the majority Hindu community through disinformation,” HRW noted in its presser.
Modi recently said he hoped for the “safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities” in Bangladesh – but HRW said his electoral campaign earlier this year “frequently used hate speech against Muslims and other minorities [in India]”.
The prime minister spoke on the safety of minorities in Bangladesh following reports of attacks on them, including on Hindus, after Sheikh Hasina’s government fell on August 5.
Modi was criticised for his campaign speeches during the 2024 general election, in one of which he infamously referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”, insinuating that the Congress would distribute people’s property to Muslims were it to come to power.
HRW documented other instances of similar remarks Modi made in his campaign as well as the Election Commission’s failure to take appropriate action against him.
The commission’s letter to BJP president J.P. Nadda – directing him to ask all star campaigners in his party to thereafter refrain from making communal speeches – did not deter Modi, HRW said, adding that he “continued to make speeches inciting hate throughout the campaign period”.
“Inflammatory” speeches that Modi and other BJP leaders made “amid a decade of attacks and discrimination against minorities under the Modi administration have further normalised abuses against Muslims, Christians, and others,” HRW’s Asia director Elaine Pearson said.
The regulatory model code of conduct bars “appeal[s] to caste or communal feelings for securing votes”.
India is also a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”.
Indian authorities also targeted Muslims after the general elections, HRW said, pointing to Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand’s orders ahead of the kanwar yatra ordering eatery and food stall owners to display their names as well as to reports of selective demolitions in Madhya Pradesh in response to allegations that beef was found with its occupants.
The NGO also noted recent attacks on minorities in India and that anti-Muslim hate speech rose after the BJP came to power in 2014.
“The Indian government’s claims of plurality and being the ‘mother of democracy’ ring hollow in the face of its abusive anti-minority actions,” Pearson, HRW’s Asia director said.
She added: “The new Modi government needs to reverse its discriminatory policies, act on violence against minorities, and ensure justice for those affected.”
