‘Outrageous, communal & toxic’: Modi’s anti-Muslim speech continue to draw outrage in India
New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narender Modi’s controversial remarks specifically targeting Muslims continue to spark massive outrage across the country’s political and social spectrum as well as civil society organizations.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing an election rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday, Modi had called Muslims “infiltrators” and “the people who have many children”. “Earlier, when their [Congress] government was in power, they had said that Muslims had the first right on the country’s assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children. It will be distributed among the infiltrators”, Modi had said.
Former Indian home minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram pointed out that no prime minister has ever made such outrageous remarks against Muslims. “Each sentence outdid the previous sentence in its absolute falsehood and brazen mendacity,” he said on X.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin also came down heavily on Modi terming his speech as toxic, vile, and highly deplorable. “Hearing public anger against his failures, Modi has attempted to whip up religious sentiments and resorted to hate speech to avoid what seems to be an imminent defeat. Hate and discrimination are the real guarantees of Modi,” said Stalin on X. The DMK chief also slammed the Election Commission for “turning a deaf ear to the PM’s blatant hate speech”.
Taking to X Tuesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned Modi’s “insidious remark” saying that the PM’s communal statement is a threat to democratic and secular values. He urged the Election Commission to take strong action against Modi for the speech. “Any effort to dent India’s secular credentials and religious harmony should be resisted,” he asserted.
Even Akhali Dal, an erstwhile alliance partner of the BJP, has condemned Modi’s statement. Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal said the prime minister should never have made statements that spread communal hatred, mutual suspicion and venom among India’s people.
Meanwhile, Indian civil society organizations, the Rajasthan Election Watch (REW) and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), have called on the chief election officer (CEO) of Rajasthan to lodge a complaint against Modi over his anti-Muslim hate speech. PUCL member, Kavita Srivastava said that she and Mukesh Goswami of REW approached the CEO Rajasthan to lodge their complaint. Srivastava said they were asked to come back the next day to know the status of their application. It should be noted that the complaint is yet to be accepted to result in any further action.
Earlier, Congress president Malikarjun Kharge, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, prominent Supreme Court lawyer Kapil Sibal, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and several others slammed the prime minister over the controversial speech.
