Telangana MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arvind Dharmapuri on Sunday, May 6 posted an animated video on reservations with anti-Muslim rhetoric to attack the Congress, alluding that giving reservation to Muslims will affect SC,ST and OBC quota. This comes just a day after Karnataka BJP posted a similar hate video showing Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah feeding “funds” to a bird labelled ‘Muslim’ while the birds labelled ‘SC’, ‘ST’ and ‘OBC’ starve. It is to note that Congress has not mentioned snatching away rights of SC, ST or OBC members to give it to Muslims in their manifesto.
The animated video posted by the Nizamabad MP shows a boat named ‘SC, ST, OBC Quota’ with people ready to sail. Caricatures resembling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are seen bringing a Muslim man and asking them to give him some space. After they agree, the man is shown smiling in a cunning way and giving his “vote” to Rahul before stepping into the boat. More Muslim people - including women and children - are entering the boat and Rahul is heard telling those in the boat to adjust. Soon, the Muslim man who entered the boat is shown throwing those initially in the boat into the water. The ‘SC, ST, OBC’ written on the boat is struck off and the word ‘Muslim’ is written above it in Telugu. The animated figures of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah are seen laughing at this.
The video then shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi coming to save them upon hearing the cries of those in the water, with the background score of Baahubali 2. The boat carrying Modi has Jai Shri Ram written on it. He saves the people from the water into the boat named ‘SC, ST, OBC Quota’.
This is the third video from BJP targeting Muslims. In an earlier video posted on May 4 by BJP Karnataka, a nest has three eggs labelled ‘SC’, ‘ST’ and ‘OBC’, to which a figure resembling Rahul Gandhi adds a larger egg labelled ‘Muslims’. The eggs hatch and the bird that emerges from the egg named ‘Muslim’ seems bigger than the others and wears a skull cap and has a beard. Rahul Gandhi is shown feeding the larger bird “funds” while all the others are left hungry. Eventually, the bird grows larger and eliminates others.
The first video posted on April 30 by the party’s instagram handle was removed either by the BJP or Instagram. The video directly targeted Muslims and called the Congress’ manifesto the “Muslim League’s ideology in disguise.” The animated video also said that the Congress, if voted to power, would take all the money and wealth of “non-Muslims” and distribute it to Muslims.
Prior to the video, Modi referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” and “those who have more children” during a speech in Rajasthan.
The PM’s speech and all these videos are in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) as they come amid elections. However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has largely remained silent. The ECI sent a notice to BJP president JP Nadda over the speech of a ‘star campaigner’, but it has not mentioned Modi’s name, claims he has been making, or questioned Modi directly. The poll body invoked the Representation of the People’s Act, and held that heads of political parties responsible for the statement of a ‘star campaigner.’
