Narendra Modi Says Opposition Win Will Mean Muslims Take Over Hindu Wealth
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments risk igniting Hindu Muslim clashes which could undermine India’s security
Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), with a population of 230 million and 80 seats in the national parliament, is a key electoral state in India, including in the elections currently underway.
Prior to the February 2022 elections for the U.P. state legislature there was reportedly a rumor being spread to try and attract low-castes to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. The rumor was that the farmland, homes, and other assets, owned by Muslims in India, would be redistributed among the lower castes after the Muslims were driven out of the country.
Apparently the rumor arose after Hindu extremist monks took an oath to turn India into a Hindu nation, if need be by killing Muslims. This oath was taken at a gathering in Haridwar, Jharkhand state, in December 2021, two months prior to the legislative elections in the state as well as in the neighboring U.P. state. Those who took the oath included some influential monks with close ties to the BJP as well as BJP members, according to news reports.
The key electoral strategy of the BJP has always been to try to win Hindu votes by demonizing Muslims. The party is an arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), a secretive, militant Hindu nationalist organization, whose mission is to make India a Hindu state. BJP and RSS leaders refer to Muslims as infiltrators, illegal migrants who crossed into India from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Up until this week, Modi avoided directly attacking Muslims in his election campaigns though he obliquely identified them by referring to their dress and customs. On the global stage he has sought to project an image of being a unifying leader. For instance, last year when he hosted the Group of 20 Nations Summit in New Delhi his theme was “the world is one family.”
On Sunday, at a BJP election rally in the state of Rajasthan, Modi said that if the opposition Congress Party returns to power, it “will gather all your wealth and distribute it among…infiltrators. Do you think your hard-earned money should be given to infiltrators?” Modi also sought to make an emotional appeal to Hindu women: “my mothers and sisters” a Congress government would take your gold and give it to Muslims, he reportedly said.
Modi’s speech came two days after the start of the six-week long national parliamentary elections which are currently underway. As several commentators have noted, Modi sought to rouse hatred against the Muslims likely because his BJP did not fare as well as expected on the first day of elections which accounted for 102 of the 543 parliament seats. BJP leaders, and the major media outlets in India, expect the party to easily win a clear majority of 370 seats, even 400 seats. The results of the parliamentary elections will be announced on June 2.
Also, in Rajasthan, which has 25 parliamentary seats, the BJP faces discontent from some Hindu voters. Unemployed youth have protested against the armed forces hiring new recruits for a short period of only four years and farmers are seeking higher prices for their crops.
Muslims number 200 million, about 14% of India’s 1.4 billion population; Hindus account for 80%. Since Modi first got elected as Prime Minister in 2014, India’s Muslims have faced rising discrimination and violence ranging from an anti-citizenship law, which could deprive many of them of their citizenship and voting rights, to lynching for alleged slaughter of cows and eating beef.
The United States and other Western governments have largely ignored such attacks on minorities in India. This is because they view India as a key part of the global alliance against China and given India’s large potential market for Western goods and services.
In 2022, more than 200 retired senior armed forces officers asked Modi and other officials to take punitive action against the monks and others calling for genocide against Muslims. So far Modi’s government has been no action taken against those calling for killing Muslims.
Retired Admiral Arun Prakash, a Hindu who was head of the Indian Navy, tweeted, “WHY IS THIS NOT BEING STOPPED? With our Jawans (soldiers) facing enemies on 2 fronts (China and Pakistan), do we want a communal blood-bath, domestic turmoil and international disgrace? Is it difficult to understand that anything which damages national cohesion & unity endangers India’s national security?”