This Comes After ‘Hindu-Muslim’ and ‘North-South’

Newsreel Asia Insight #234
May 27, 2024

After attempting to deepen the divide between sections of the Hindu and Muslim communities, as well as between North and South Indians, the BJP is now seeking to create a rift between Sikhs and Muslims through a social media ad. The ad does not mention the party’s accomplishments but instead aims to instil fear about the opposition Congress party with the claim that it is anti-Sikh.

This video ad on Instagram targets voters in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, some of which voted on May 25 and the others will cast vote on June 1.

The video features a Congress party “surveyor” taking photographs of people’s assets. Upon reading a nameplate that says “Shaikh Irfan,” he chooses to skip it. Instead, he photographs the buffalo, tractor and car of a Sikh neighbour. When the Sikh man sees him, he asks what he's doing. The surveyor responds that he is from the Congress party and that his party leader Rahul Gandhi has instructed them to scan the property. He claims that if Mr. Gandhi comes to power, all the assets will be divided. The Sikh man replies, asking if one partition wasn’t enough, referring to the 1947 Partition. The surveyor explains that Mr. Gandhi is doing this “partition” to ensure justice. The Sikh man then asks if justice will also be done with Irfan’s property. The surveyor answers that taking anything from Irfan would mean there wouldn’t be any place for him in the Congress.

The ad then appears to promote violence. The Sikh man declares that he will do justice “here and now” and picks up a stick, prompting the Congress surveyor to run away.

In an April 15 speech in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi said, as reported by News18: “Down south, they (the Congress) abuse north Indians, but come and seek your votes here. They do nothing to oppose their allies like DMK, whose leaders abuse our Sanatana Dharma. Leaders from the Congress and SP keep mum when leaders from the Left parties in Kerala, Congress leaders from Karnataka and Telangana abuse north Indians. Can we forgive such divisive forces?”

In Rajasthan, on April 21, Modi said,  according to Alt News, “When they [the Congress party] were in power, they had said that Muslims had the right to the properties of the state. This means that they would collect these properties and give them to the ones who produce more children”

The Prime Minister continued, “They will give it to the ghuspethiyon (infiltrators). Do you want to give away your hard-earned money to the intruders? This is what the Congress manifesto says — ‘we will measure the amount of gold your mothers and daughters own and distribute their wealth.’ They will distribute their wealth…(smiles) Manmohan Singh ji had said Muslims had the first right over the properties. Brothers and sisters, this urban Naxals mentality won’t even spare your mothers’ and daughters’ ‘mangalsutras.’ This is how low they will stoop.”

In its election campaign, the BJP seems to be diverting attention from its governance record to its claims about opposition parties, religious minorities, and other communities. This may indicate the party's lowest confidence in its chances of winning an election in the past few decades.