Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under fire from opposition leaders and civil society groups for his controversial remark characterizing young Muslims as “puncture repairers,” a statement widely condemned as derogatory and divisive, reported the Times of India.
Speaking at an airport inauguration in Hisar, Haryana, Modi said, “If Waqf properties had been used honestly, Muslim youths wouldn’t need to earn a livelihood from repairing bicycle punctures.” The phrase ‘puncture-waalah’ has long been used as a derogatory stereotype against Muslims, symbolizing economic marginalization.
Opposition leaders denounced Modi’s comment for echoing social media trolls and stoking stereotypes. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi hit back, saying, “If the thinking and property of the Sangh Parivar had been used for the nation’s welfare, Modi wouldn’t have had to sell tea in his childhood.”
He further questioned Modi’s governance record: “What has he done for poor Indians in the past 11 years? 33% of the population lacks jobs and education. Waqf institutions were deliberately weakened by the state, and the recent Waqf Amendment will only worsen it.”
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said Modi had lowered the dignity of the Prime Minister’s office by using troll-like language. Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi pointed out the irony: “If Muslims are poor and fixing punctures, then which Muslim has the BJP made an MP or MLA?”
He added, “Has the vast wealth of temple trusts improved the lives of poor Hindus? Why hasn’t the Muslim community received reservation despite SC reports showing they fare worse than Dalits? Even the Haj subsidy was taken, claiming it would fund hostels. This is about seizing Muslim lands and institutions.”
Congress spokesperson Dr. Shama Mohamed stated, “Modi mocks Muslim youth on one hand, and on the other, brands welfare schemes for minorities as ‘appeasement.’ It’s not Waqf but your government that’s holding Muslims back, treating them as second-class citizens.”
Literary critic Purushottam Agarwal criticized the implicit disdain in Modi’s words, saying, “Neither puncture repair nor frying pakoras should be viewed as degrading. But mocking them is a mark of narrow-mindedness.”
Journalist Awesh Tiwari wrote on X, “Muslims don’t just repair punctures, Modi ji—they build missiles, defend the nation, and made sacrifices for India’s freedom. Time to correct your words.”
Congress leader Apurva Bhardwaj added that Modi’s references to professions like tea-selling and tire-patching are political tools to invoke sympathy while reinforcing stereotypes for electoral gain. “This is not sympathy; it’s soft humiliation,” he wrote. “Pretending to help while assigning Muslims a stereotypical role is neither love nor respect—it’s political theatre.”
He concluded, “If those who stereotype Muslims claim to be their well-wishers, they hardly need enemies.”
This is not the first time PM Modi has courted controversy with anti-Muslim rhetoric. During an April 2024 rally in Banswara, Rajasthan, he referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” and implied that Congress would redistribute wealth to families “with more children,” a dog-whistle frequently aimed at Muslims.
