A social media post by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Karnataka unit on Saturday, April 4, sparked outrage online, with many condemning the animation video for “Islamophobic hate”.
The animated video, captioned “Beware.. Beware.. Beware..!” in Kannada, featured apparent caricatures of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah placing an egg labelled “Muslims” in a nest of alongside three eggs marked as “SC [Scheduled Castes], ST [Scheduled Tribes] and OBC [Other Backward Classes]”
The video shared by the BJP Karnataka on a social media platform depicted a caricature of Gandhi feeding money exclusively to a bird emerging from a “Muslim” egg, which then pushes away other birds from different eggs, followed by laughter. This video, part of the Lok Sabha elections campaign, faced significant backlash on social media.
By the time of publishing this article, the video on X garnered over 4 million views.
Many users tagged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action against the “hate”.
Slamming EC’s inaction against the BJP over the video, TMC MP Saket Gokhale remarked: “The Election Commission of India has never seen a lower point in the history of the country.”
“I say this with full responsibility: The Election Commission of India has never seen a lower point in the history of the country. It has been reduced to a joke – a cruel joke that is supervising & encouraging the complete destruction of a fair electoral process built over decades. Shame is an understatement. This election officially has no rules left anymore for BJP or Modi. We are officially no more a country that can pride itself on free & fair elections,” the TMC MP said in a post on X.
Actor Prakash Raj called the post “shameless” and remarked that Karnataka will teach BJP a “befitting” lesson.
“Shameless @BJP4Karnataka … MARK my WORDs .. inclusive n peace loving Karnataka and our Country.. will teach you a befitting Lesson.. for your disgusting.. Hate spreading.. Communal Politics .. #SaveDemocracySaveIndia from these bigots #justasking,” he said in a post on X.
Professor Nitasha Kaul, a British academic of Indian origin, described a video as “a straightforward 1930s Germany-style cartoon” on X, drawing a comparison between the propaganda used by Nazi Germany during that era and the content of the video.
“No wonder calls by many Indians for ECI to act or resign. No hope though – election commission members chosen by the incumbent,” she added.
The anti-Muslim reservation rhetoric of the saffron party has been spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ongoing Lok Sabha poll campaigning.
He has faced accusations of hate speech during the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
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 favoring 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 accused the Congress of attempting to provide reservations for Muslims at the expense of Dalits, tribals, and backward classes.
He repeatedly challenged Congress to guarantee in writing that they would never extend reservations based on religion.
Modi emphasized that his government would not allow quotas for Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs to be given to Muslims on religious grounds.
He criticized the Congress for allegedly manipulating reservation quotas in various states and accused them of spreading fake videos to target the BJP government.
Modi reiterated his commitment to not allow religion-based reservations for Muslims as long as he is alive, highlighting his stance against such reservations during his campaign rallies in different states like Gujarat, Telangana, and Rajasthan
