PM blasts Modi for ‘continuing silence’ on Hindutva summit calling for Indian minorities’ genocide

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said the Narendra Modi-led government was “a real and present threat to peace” in the region, adding that all minorities in India were at the target of extremist groups operating under the patronage of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Last month, leaders from several far-right groups in India had issued calls for the ethnic cleansing of minorities in the country, especially targeting its 200 million-strong Muslim population.

“Under the extremist ideology of the BJP Modi govt, all religious minorities in India have been targeted with impunity by Hindutva groups,” he said.

The prime minister called out the continuing silence of Modi government, adding that it warranted clarity whether the BJP government supported the extremists’ call.

He urged the international community to take notice of the calls and act against it.

According to an October report in The Print, Hindu leader Narsinghanand has been accused of inciting communal tension against the Muslim community on several occasions.

“Like Myanmar, our police, our politicians, our army and every Hindu must pick up weapons and conduct a safayi abhiyan (clean-up). There is no other option left,” Swami Prabodhanand Giri, president of the Hindu Raksha Sena, was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Sadhvi Annapurna, the general secretary of the political party Hindu Mahasabha, also gave a call to arms and incitement to genocide.

“Nothing is possible without weapons. If you want to eliminate their population, then kill them. Be ready to kill and be ready to go to jail. Even if 100 of us are ready to kill 20 lakhs of them (Muslims), then we will be victorious, and go to jail,” The Wire quoted her as saying.

According to the report, religious leader Swami Anandswaroop gave an example of how Muslim street vendors should be treated. “The street in which I live, every morning I used to spot a mullah with a big beard and nowadays they keep a saffron beard. This is Haridwar, Maharaj. There is no Muslim buyer here, so throw him out,” he said.

The Wire reported that BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay and BJP Mahila Morcha leader Udita Tyagi also attended the three-day summit “giving the event a level of political encouragement from the ruling party”.

However, speaking to the Indian Express, Upadhyay said: “It was a three-day event and I was there for one day, during which I was on the stage for around 30 minutes and talked about the Constitution. What others said before and after me, I am not responsible for it.”