India’s ruling party faces backlash for labeling Muslims as ‘Bangladeshi infiltrators’
Muslim residents in India’s Jharkhand state are furious over ruling Bharatiya Janata Party calling them “Bangladeshi infiltrators.”
The BJP has been using this rhetoric to lure tribal voters in the region as the state went to the polls on Wednesday to choose the provincial government.
Analysts say it is part of a strategy to weaken opposition support in ongoing state elections.
The BJP has focused its polarization efforts on voters in Pakur district, which is barely 32 miles from the Bangladesh border.
It also adjoins the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district in neighboring West Bengal state.
Al Jazeera reports that the BJP’s focus on what it calls Muslim “infiltrators” mirrors its campaign in Assam. There, similar allegations have been used to stoke fear and division.
Critics fear the BJP’s election tactics in Jharkhand may intensify anti-Muslim sentiment and further polarize the state’s electorate.
However, BJP spokesman Pratul Shahdev denied that the party is using the “Bangladeshi infiltrator” issue as an election plank.
He told Al Jazeera his party has been raising this issue for years and will continue to do so.
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