Report exposes alarming normalization of hate speech by BJP leaders targeting minorities
Islamabad: A report by a UK-based Muslim body has exposed the alarming normalization of hate speech and divisive rhetoric by Hindutva politicians in India, with instances more than doubling during the BJP-led government’s second term from 2019 to 2024.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the comprehensive report by the United Kingdom Indian Muslim Council (UK-IMC) is titled “Portfolios of Hate”.
The report documents a curated selection of 70 hate speech incidents recorded by Indian media across various regions of the country, illustrating a wider phenomenon of vitriolic speech used to target minority communities, especially Muslims. It primarily examines the candidates from the BJP-led NDA alliance in the current general elections, who are campaigning based on Narendra Modi’s ten-year tenure.
“The report underscores the complicity of elected representatives in perpetuating hate speech, with many offenders occupying positions of authority within the government,” said Mohammed Owaise, Director of UK-IMC. “It cautions that this institutionalized pattern not only undermines democratic principles but poses a threat to social cohesion.”
The report scrutinizes hate speech by 36 BJP candidates for the ongoing 2024 elections, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi topping the list. Incidents range from justifying the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat to accusing Muslims of disrespecting Hindu sentiments by consuming non-vegetarian food during religious festivals. Other key figures include Home Minister Amit Shah, who described undocumented immigrants as “termites,” and BJP President JP Nadda, who vowed to remove religion-based reservations.
The report’s revelations come amid growing concerns over the rise in hate crimes against minorities under the BJP government’s reign.
There have been additional occurrences of dangerous incitements by Narendra Modi in recent weeks that were not covered in the report. In the latest instances of hate speech, Modi has repeatedly deployed divisive tropes portraying Muslims as “infiltrators” and “outsiders” plotting to undermine Hindu society through glorified conspiracy theories like “love jihad,” “land jihad” and now “vote jihad.”
Dr Amrit Wilson, a member of the South Asia Solidarity Group (SASG) based in the UK, emphasized the significance of these reports, stating, “Having such documentation is crucial as it substantiates what many of us have observed and been alarmed by the shift towards a Hindu Rashtra, evident in the rhetoric, the violence targeting Muslims, and the dehumanization of the community.”
