Modi to be investigated by India's election commission

Prime minister referred to Muslims as ‘infiltrators' in speech

- ALISHA RAHAMAN SARKAR

The language used by India’s prime minister Narendra Modi – appearing to refer to the country’s Muslim population as “infiltrators” – has sparked outrage among the opposition, who have described it as hate speech and accused the prime minister of dragging India’s democracy into the gutter.

Now, the Election Commission of India has sent a notice to Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) confirming that it is investigating the speech, which was made during a campaign rally last weekend, for possibly constituting a breach of election rules.

That the notice of a possible violation of the electoral code has gone to Mr Modi’s party, and not to him personally, is unusual. Nonetheless, it represents the first time in India’s independent history that the commission has recognised a complaint against a sitting prime minister.

The constitutional body issued a similar notice to the opposition Congress party yesterday over alleged violations of the code by its chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, and former party president Rahul Gandhi. It followed complaints from the BJP about various claims made by Congress on the campaign trail, including that Mr Modi’s party wants to change India’s constitution if it wins a third term in power. The ruling party said these were “false allegations”.

The notices were issued on Thursday, a day before the second phase of voting began in the world’s biggest election. The election is spread across seven phases in total, and ends on 4 June, when the results will be declared. Mr Modi is seeking to retain power for a rare third term.