Prime Minister Narendra Modi made anti-Muslim remarks in 110 of his 173 speeches while the Model Code of Conduct was in place during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a report by international non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has revealed. The report mentions PM Modi’s speeches in Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
“Modi made Islamophobic remarks, apparently intended to undermine the political opposition, which he said only promoted Muslim rights, and to foster fear among the majority Hindu community through disinformation,” the report said.
According to the report, at least 28 attacks were witnessed post-elections against religious minorities across the country, which led to the deaths of 12 Muslim men and a Christian woman. The report also notes that the Election Commission of India failed to take adequate action to respond to these violations. “Despite finding that Modi and others had violated the guidelines, the ECI only wrote to the office of the BJP president, without naming the PM, and asked that the BJP and its “star campaigners” refrain from making speeches along religious or communal lines. These directions did not deter Modi, who continued to make speeches inciting hate throughout the campaign period,” the report stated.
Elaine Pearson, HRW Asia Director said that the inflammatory speeches normalised abuse against Muslims, Christians and other minority communities. “Indian Prime Minister Modi and BJP leaders made blatantly false claims in their campaign speeches against Muslims and other minority groups,” he said.
Referring to how homes of Muslims were razed with bulldozers, HRW said these were carried out as “apparent collective punishment against the Muslim community for communal clashes or dissent. “Several BJP state governments demolished Muslims’ homes, businesses, and places of worship without due process and carried out other unlawful practices, which have continued since the election,” the report said.
The report also took into account how BJP posted videos vilifying Muslims and spreading disinformation during the campaign and how leaders within the party worsened the situation. “Several other BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the former minister for information and broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, made speeches pitting Hindus against Muslims, fueling hatred and insecurity among the Hindu population,” the report noted. However, BJP had suffered a crushing defeat in Rajasthan’s Banswara, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Muslims as 'infiltrators' and 'those who have more children'.