India’s ruling party targets lone Muslim lawmaker in Modi’s home state
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) – A lone Muslim lawmaker in the Gujarat state assembly faced communal attacks from ruling party members, exposing the growing marginalization of Muslims in Indian politics under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Imran Khedawala, the only Muslim legislator in Gujarat’s 182-member assembly, was singled out by lawmakers from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while raising an infrastructure-related question on Monday. The discussion quickly turned into a communal tirade when Minister of State Jagdish Vishwakarma accused a “particular community” of encroaching on public land, listing “non-veg lorries, rickshaws, garages, and religious sites” as obstacles to road construction.
The phrase “particular community” is a well-known dog whistle in Indian politics, often used by Hindu nationalist leaders to refer to Muslims without explicitly naming them. Vishwakarma went further, telling Khedawala it was his “duty” to ensure his community did not engage in illegal encroachment—effectively holding the legislator responsible for Ahmedabad’s Muslim population.
Khedawala immediately protested, accusing BJP lawmakers of communal targeting. However, Speaker Shankar Chaudhary dismissed his concerns, merely advising members to avoid personal references—without addressing the clear Islamophobic undertones.
The attack on Khedawala follows a similar exchange days earlier, when BJP MLA Amit P Shah accused “people from your minority community” of being responsible for the 2003 assassination of BJP leader Haren Pandya. The remark played into long-standing conspiracy theories used to demonize Muslims in Gujarat, where Modi was chief minister at the time of the 2002 anti-Muslim pogroms.
Khedawala later appealed to the Speaker for protection, stating, “I raise issues of the people and of Gujarat within the limits of the Constitution. The kind of language used against me in this House should not continue.”
The incident highlights a broader pattern in BJP-ruled India, where the government increasingly uses coded language and legal pretexts to marginalize Muslims. From bulldozing Muslim homes in the name of “illegal encroachments” to suppressing Muslim voices in legislatures, Modi’s party has mainstreamed anti-Muslim rhetoric as a political tool.
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