New Delhi: After falsely claiming that the Congress’s manifesto promises constitutional amendments that will take wealth from people and distribute it among Muslims multiple times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now appeared to allude to the fact that foreign powers are attempting to influence India’s polls.
“I can see that there is an attempt by some in the world to influence our elections. They are not just giving their opinions but are trying to influence our polls. But they will not be successful,” he said, according to Times of India. He said this at an interview with Times Now Navbharat.
Coincidentally, on May 3, Canada’s public inquiry into foreign interference highlighted that a “Government of India proxy agent” had attempted to channel funds to Canadian candidates during the 2021 general elections.
Modi’s claim comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party appears to have run a newspaper ad in Marathi, asking according to journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, “Where should your vote lead to celebration, India or Pakistan?”
Ahead of crucial third phase, political ad that caught the eye: BJP ad in Marathi (literal translation): where should your vote lead to celebration, India or Pakistan? (Simple Qs: Does EC model code of conduct allow an ad like this?) pic.twitter.com/CXwE976Xyx
Advertisement— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) May 6, 2024
Many have questioned as to whether such a stance that is comparable to communal dog-whistling is within the rules of the Model Code of Conduct, imposed by the Election Commission.
Prajwal
On Prajwal Revanna, Hassan MP and returning candidate from the Janata Dal (Secular), who it is now revealed sexually abused hundreds of women, video recorded the harassment and then fled the country, Modi blamed the Congress.
The JD(S), however, is in alliance with the BJP. Modi had personally campaigned for Prajwal and said that “every vote for him is a vote for Modi.”
“These thousands of videos would not be from a single day, which implies that they were from the time when JD(S) was in alliance with Congress (in the state). These videos were gathered (then) and Congress released it during the ongoing polls only after a particular community had voted,” Modi claimed.
In the same interview, Modi also exhorted upon Muslims – a community he has named and likened to ‘infiltrators’ and ‘those who have many children’ in election speeches – to think as to why the country is developing and they are falling behind. He also claimed that “after 2002, there was not a single communal riot.” There have been several, including in New Delhi in 2020.
