Indian opposition accuses Modi of hate speech after he calls Muslims ‘infiltrators’

“They will distribute it to the infiltrators,” he continued, saying, “Do you think your hard-earned money should be given to the infiltrators?”

Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a Congress spokesman, called the prime minister’s comments “very, very objectionable” and said the party had sought action on Monday from the Election Commission of India, which oversees the six-week voting period.

The comments sparked fierce criticism for expressing anti-Islamic tropes and violating election rules that ban candidates from participating in activities that exacerbate religious tensions. The Election Commission of India’s model code of conduct bans candidates from “appealing to caste or communal sentiments” to secure votes.

Asaduddin Owaidi, a Muslim parliamentarian and chairman of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen party, said on Sunday: “Modi today called Muslims infiltrators and people with many children. Since 2002 till today, Modi’s only guarantee is to abuse Muslims and get votes.”

Critics of Modi – an outspoken Hindu nationalist – say India’s tradition of diversity and secularism has been under attack since his party came to power in 2014 and returned for a second term in 2019. They accuse Modi’s BJP of promoting religious intolerance and sometimes even violence. The party denies the accusation and says its policies benefit all Indians.

But rights groups say attacks on minorities have become more brutal under Modi. Dozens of Muslims have been lynched by Hindu mobs over accusations of eating beef or smuggling cows, an animal considered sacred to Hindus. Muslim businesses have been boycotted, their homes and businesses bulldozed and places of worship set on fire. There have been some open calls for their genocide.

Modi’s comments on Sunday were based on a 2006 statement by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the Congress party. Singh said India’s lower castes, tribes, women and “particularly the Muslim minority” were empowered to share equally in the country’s development.

“They should have the first claim on the resources,” Singh had said. A day later, his office clarified that Singh was referring to all disadvantaged groups.

According to most surveys, Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party are expected to win. The results will appear on June 4.

Congress Party president Mallikarjun Kharge described Modi’s comments as “hate speech.” “In the history of India, no prime minister has degraded the dignity of his post as much as Modi,” Kharge wrote on social media platform X.

In its petition to the Election Commission, the party said Modi and the BJP have repeatedly used religion, religious symbols and sentiments in their election campaign with impunity. “These actions have been further amplified by the commission’s inaction in sanctioning the Prime Minister and the BJP for their blatant violations of election laws,” the report said.

The committee’s code of conduct is not legally binding, but it can issue notices and suspend activists for a period of time for violations.

“We decline comment,” a commission spokesperson told the Press Trust of India news agency on Monday.

In his speech, Modi also referred to a Hindu nationalist myth that Muslims were overtaking the Hindu population by having more children. Hindus make up 80% of India’s 1.4 billion population, while the country’s 200 million Muslims make up 14%. Official data shows that fertility rates among Muslims have fallen most rapidly among religious groups in recent decades, from 4.4 in 1992-93 to 2.3 between 2019-2021, slightly higher than among Hindus (1.94).

Modi’s BJP has previously called Muslims infiltrators and depicted them as illegal migrants entering India from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Several BJP-led states have also passed laws restricting interfaith marriages, citing the myth of “love jihad,” an unproven conspiracy theory used by hardline Hindu groups to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women through marriage.

Through it all, Modi has maintained a conspicuous silence, which critics say has emboldened some of his most extreme supporters and enabled more hate speech against Muslims.