Opinion | Exploiting Islamophobia is an election-winning tool in India
- The strategy of Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP has been to exclude minority groups. While it considers Christianity as the religion of proselytisers, Islam is branded as the religion of invaders and beef eaters, writes Nazneen Mohsina
Many consider that the ongoing general elections in India are also a referendum on the country’s secular, pluralist future. The strategy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has largely been based on Hindutva posturing and fearmongering among the Hindu majority about alleged dangers posed by minority communities, especially Muslims.
Evidence of this was seen after the release of the party’s 2019 manifesto, which included plans to introduce a National Register for Citizens (NRC). The party’s Twitter account quoted BJP president Amit Shah saying, “We will ensure implementation of NRC in the entire country. We will remove every single infiltrator from the country, except Buddha, Hindus and Sikhs”.
According to a report by NDTV, the use of hateful and divisive language by top politicians in India increased by nearly 500 per cent since the BJP-led government came to power. As Muslims are the country’s largest minority group, forming 15 per cent of the population, they encounter the most instances of hate, violence and intolerance.
Members and candidates of the ruling party often use Islamophobia rhetoric to establish conservative credentials and galvanise voters. They propagate bigoted conspiracy theories whereby Islam is considered violent, foreign and un-Indian. They also engage in rhetoric that conflate Islam with terrorism and depict Muslims as inherently dangerous people.
