Muslim persecution, home demolitions: Modi's party likened to British colonisers

India's opposition Indian National Congress (INC) has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of systematically persecuting the country's Muslim community, describing the practice as a gross violation of the rule of law and the Constitution.

According to Indian newspaper Deccan Herald, the opposition also demanded adequate compensation for those whose homes had been demolished and called for officials responsible for the demolition drives to be held accountable.

The statements came after a court in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, last week acquitted 11 men accused in the 2022 Ram Navami violence case, ruling that the prosecution had failed to present credible evidence or witnesses and that no lawful investigation had been conducted. Despite the acquittals, the BJP's so-called "bulldozer justice" had already been carried out, the opposition said.

INC General Secretary Jairam Ramesh made it clear that the Muslim community had consistently been targeted in BJP-ruled states, alleging that demolition drives had been directed at religious sites, educational institutions and private homes.

He described the practice as a gross insult to both the rule of law and the Constitution.

"The BJP government must answer to all those whose homes were demolished; they should be provided with adequate compensation, and the officials responsible for these actions must be held accountable," Ramesh noted.

Meanwhile, Indian news outlet The News Mill reported that Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the BJP and its affiliated organisations of pursuing a strategy reminiscent of British colonial rule, alleging that they were fostering religious divisions to weaken the opposition.

Commenting on the political situation in India, Tiwari drew parallels between British colonial policies and the approach of the ruling party.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party, along with its affiliated organisations and its parent organisation, is behaving much as the British did. The British sought to weaken India's freedom movement by sowing divisions between Hindus and Muslims. Similarly, the BJP is dividing the nation along religious lines to weaken the opposition against it and to undermine the struggle against capitalism," Tiwari remarked.

He added that a movement was emerging to challenge what he described as the "plundering of the nation," saying people were uniting in opposition to the policies of the BJP-led government.

Invoking the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Tiwari stated:

"Mahatma Gandhi united people across communities, and today the Congress Party seeks the same, to bring Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians together in the interest of the country's development and to oppose the Bharatiya Janata Party, which it believes is attempting to divide the nation."

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov