A new video advertisement released on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s official Instagram handle, depicting that Congress favours Muslims over other communities, particularly Sikh community, has sparked outrage and widespread condemnation.
The video was released on Friday, May 24. Punjab has predominant Sikh population.
Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, BJP released several digital ads and animated videos that purportedly target the Muslim community and instill fear among Hindus through anti-Muslim rhetoric and fake claims. However, this time, the party has tried to incite the Sikh community against Muslims.
The viral video starts with showing a nameplate on a house that reads ‘Shaikh Irfan’. Then a man portrayed as a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) is shown scanning the property belonging to a Sikh man with a phone camera, leading to a confrontation where the Sikh man questions his actions.
In response, the man is heard saying, “Rahul ji na kaha batwara hoga,” implying that property will be divided if Rahul Gandhi comes to power. Responding to this claim, the Sikh man replies: “Ek batwara kar k pett nahi bara,” referring to the previous partition of the country. “Rahul Ji nyay k liyai yeh batwara kar rahe hai (Rahul is doing this partition for justice),” the man responds.
The video further shows the Sikh man suggesting scanning the property of Irfan Miya, a reference to the Muslim community. The man responds “Irfan Miya k property k sath nyay karo ge (Will you do justice with a property of Iran Miya)?”
“Un se liya toh congress mai jagha nahi mile gi“, he says, to convey strong favouritism of Congress towards the Muslim community.
Many people have drawn attention to the Sikh character in the video and noted that because Sikhs dominate Punjab and all 13 constituencies are up for election on June 1, the saffron party is now pitting the Sikh population against Muslims to get votes. In the sixth phase, the state with the second highest Sikh population, Haryana, will cast its votes for all 10 Lok Sabha seats.
This ad has faced severe criticism for attempting to provoke Sikhs against Muslims, following previous attempts to divide Hindus and Muslims. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has faced backlash for not taking appropriate action to prevent such hate-mongering speeches and digital ads.
Netizens react
The BJP’s posts are flooded with netizens trolling the party’s narratives against a particular community.
Slamming ECI’s inaction against the BJP’s series of anti-Muslim videos, a user wrote, “After dividing Hindus and Muslims, BJP wants to provoke Sikhs against Muslims.”
“Just saw one more anti-Muslim ad by @BJP4India on Instagram. Presumably timed for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab voting. After inciting Hindus against Muslims, this one tries to incite Sikhs against Muslims. @ECISVEEP’s three blind mice know about this but clearly don’t give a damn (sic),” wrote another user.
Pertinently, the anti-Muslim rhetoric from the saffron party has been amplified by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ongoing Lok Sabha poll campaigning.
He referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” and made controversial remarks about the minority faith during a rally in Rajasthan, criticizing the Congress party for allegedly favouring Muslims over other communities. Modi’s comments have been denounced by the opposition, with the Congress party filing a complaint with the Election Commission of India, alleging that his statements violated election rules prohibiting candidates from inciting religious tensions.
Modi alleged that if Congress comes to power they will snatch the property of non-Muslims and distribute it among Muslims. He also accused the Congress of attempting to provide reservations for Muslims at the expense of Dalits, tribals, and backward classes.
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