The prime minister’s comments on Sunday were a ‘direct attack on the Muslims of India’, one of the groups told the poll panel.
By Scroll Staff
Thousands of Indians wrote two letters to the Election Commission on Monday seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that the Congress would distribute citizens’ property among “infiltrators” if voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections.
“The prime minister, while campaigning as the [Bharatiya Janata Party’s] Star Pracharak [campaigner], made a speech on April 21 in Rajasthan that has disturbed the sentiments of millions of Constitution respecting citizens of India,” said a group in a petition to the poll panel. “The speech is dangerous and a direct attack on the Muslims of India.”
The petition was signed by 2,209 persons.
On Sunday, Modi had said: “When the Congress-led government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right over the country’s assets. This means that they will distribute wealth to those who have more children and those who are infiltrators. Is this acceptable to you?”
The citizens group pointed out to the Election Commission that Modi’s use of pejorative language against Muslims in a bid to seek votes “seriously undermines India’s stature as the ‘Mother of Democracy’ in the world”.
“The Election Commission’s failure to take any action against such hate speech will only undermine its credibility and autonomy that has been safeguarded and upheld by a series of exemplary officers before you,” the petition read.
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