What's happened
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing backlash for his anti-Muslim rhetoric during the ongoing national election campaign, accusing the opposition of collaborating with Muslims to plot a takeover and spreading hate speech against the Muslim minority.
Why it matters
Modi's inflammatory remarks risk stoking communal tensions and inciting violence against Indian Muslims. The divisive rhetoric threatens the country's social fabric and raises concerns about the erosion of democratic values and religious harmony.
What the papers say
Al Jazeera reports Modi's accusations against the opposition and his anti-Muslim rhetoric, while The Independent highlights the removal of a BJP video demonising Muslims. South China Morning Post covers the scandal involving Prajwal Revanna, and The Guardian and Sky News report on Modi's controversial comments referring to Muslims as 'infiltrators'.
How we got here
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been accused of widening communal divides by targeting religious minorities, particularly Muslims, during the election campaign. The BJP's Hindu nationalist ideology aims to make India a Hindu-first nation, leading to polarisation and tensions with minority communities.
Common question
More on these topics
-
Narendra Damodardas Modi is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, and is the Member of Parliament for Varanasi.
-
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world.
-
The Bharatiya Janata Party is one of the two major political parties in India, along with the Indian National Congress. As of 2018, it is the country's largest political party in terms of representation in the national parliament and state assemblies, and
-
The Indian National Congress is a broadly based political party in India. Along with Bharatiya Janata Party, it is one of two largest political parties in India.
-
Karnataka is a state in the south western region of India. It is the largest state in South India and seventh largest in India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State of Mysore, i