The fourth stage of India’s seven-part general elections have begun, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi continually warning the Hindu majority about the potential dominance, both numerically and economically, of the Muslim minority. In his quest for an unprecedented third consecutive term in office, the 73-year-old premier enhances his Hindu credentials as well as those of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
India started voting on 19th April, with over half of the 543 seats in parliament already contested. The election results will be announced on 4th June. Critics noticed that Modi’s recent campaign rhetoric has shifted; he discusses the economic, infrastructure and welfare progress made during his tenure less, instead focusing on criticising the opposition alliance. He alleges that, if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) coalition – comprised of over two dozen parties – wins, they will disproportionately favour the 200 million Indian Muslims, to the detriment of Hindus.
Opposition figures argue that the rhetoric espoused by Modi has caused both mainstream and social media platforms to portray Indian Muslims, who comprise around 15% of the population of 1.4 billion, negatively, while 80% of the population are Hindu.
An Economic Advisory Council report released on Thursday, suggested that between 1950 and 2015 there was a 43.14% rise in India’s Muslim population, with a slight decrease (7.82%) in the Hindu population. This supported the BJP’s argument that Muslims could numerically overtake the Hindus.
However, this report was labelled as ‘misleading, alarmist, and inaccurate’ by the independent non-governmental organisation, the Population Foundation of India, which found that Muslim population growth is actually decreasing.
Political analysts opined that Modi’s provocative remarks were spurred by a BJP internal finding of a 5-9% decrease in voter participation in the prior three elections in 284 of the 543 parliamentary constituencies. Analysts believe that the decline, particularly in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and the neighbouring Rajasthan, which strongly voted for BJP in past elections, has caused anxiety amongst the BJP leadership, resulting in more hostile language against Muslims and personal attacks on opposition leaders by the Prime Minister.
The opposition faction gained momentum last Friday, as India’s highest court granted Delhi’s Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, interim bail in a corruption-related case, giving him the green light to participate in the election campaign. Mr Kejriwal, a noted detractor of Mr Modi, was informed by the Supreme Court that his bail is valid until the 1st of June, the final day of the country-wide, seven-staged voting process. He is obligated to return to pretrial custody on the 2nd of June.
The Aam Aadmi Party, under Mr Kejriwal’s leadership, controls two regions: the National Capital Territory, inclusive of New Delhi, and the north state of Punjab, with elections scheduled for May 25th and June 1st respectively.