Election body orders BJP to take down anti-Muslim campaign ad

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been told to take down an election campaign video, which portrays Muslims in a stigmatised discriminatory narrative.

The ruling party has been hit with widespread criticism for promoting anti-Muslim sentiment because of a video advertisement.

On Saturday, the video was released as part of an election campaign in eastern India’s Jharkand state. It shows Muslims taking over a house in India for breaching the Commission’s code of conduct, reported Al Jazeera.

Additionally, a woman is depicted gesturing as if the newcomers bring an unpleasant odour, while Muslim children dirty the furniture, and women fully covered in hijabs and niqabs appear to take over the house, reported The New Arab.

The video has been deemed to perpetuate the prejudice against Muslim minority as the controversy stems from the advert's depiction of Muslims entering the home of an opposition supporter.

It is important to note that “Islamophobia” has been a consistent theme in BJP campaigns. Earlier, during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a BJP-affiliated X account based in southwest India’s Karnataka shared an inflammatory animation that alleged that Congress was facilitating Muslim dominance over other communities.

The Election Commission of India (ECI), in response to the controversy, ordered the removal of the video from the BJP’s social media platforms on Sunday.

Moreover, it stated that the video appeared to violate the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in place during the elections. As a result, the BJP has since removed the ad from all online platforms.