NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party have begun attacking opposition rivals, saying they favour minority Muslims, in what analysts see as a bid to invigorate their hardline base after general elections began last week.
India began voting on Friday in a seven-phase election at which Modi seeks a rare third consecutive term, with campaigning that had so far largely focused on his record of growth and welfare as well as his personal popularity.
But in a speech on Sunday, Modi referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" who have "more children", linking the comment to what he called an election plan of the main opposition Congress party to redistribute the wealth of Hindus among Muslims.
The Congress denied making any such promise and petitioned the Election Commission to act against Modi, who surveys suggest will win a comfortable majority, though analysts say his party wants to avert possible voter fatigue and overconfidence.
The controversial remarks were an unusual "deviation" from Modis usual practice as he rarely targets Muslims directly, said Hilal Ahmed, a political analyst at Delhis Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
They followed low voter turnout in areas where the BJP had done well in 2019, he added.
"The low turnout simply means that the committed BJP voter has not yet come out," Ahmed said. "They obviously want the committed voter to come out. That is the reason for this deviation."
The comment on redistribution of wealth to Muslims was supported and amplified on Monday by BJP members, including Modis powerful cabinet colleague, Home Minister Amit Shah, who mentioned it in a campaign speech.
Modi aired the claim again on Tuesday, a day after speaking about the gains Muslims have made during his 10-year rule.
In the southern state of Karnataka, half of which votes on Friday in the second phase of elections, BJP members have staged protests against last weeks murder of a Hindu woman by a Muslim man.
They say the incident is an instance of "love jihad", a term Hindu groups use to accuse Muslim men of waging a campaign that lures Hindu women to convert to Islam with promises of marriage.
Modis government has repeatedly been accused of targeting and discrimination against Indias estimated 200 million Muslims, who form the worlds third-largest Muslim population.
The government has denied all accusations, and Modi has said he works for the betterment of all.
"Stating facts and exposing the flawed strategy of the opposition is our job," BJP president J.P. Nadda told Reuters, when asked about Modis weekend comments.
But he said the BJP remained committed to its slogan of betterment, underlining reforms pushed by Modis government to help Muslim women and the poor among the community.
Another senior BJP leader and member of the partys central election panel said Modis Sunday comments should not be seen as "polarising", as he had only reminded voters about the "Muslim-first strategy" of Congress and its allies.
He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media. —REUTERS
