New Delhi: The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party faces wide criticism for circulating social media posts that depict Muslims as “infiltrators”. The campaign uses the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to spread images that portray Muslims in skull caps and burqas as rats, pigs, and mosquitoes. Rights groups and political observers say this creates a hostile environment for Muslim citizens.
The posts were shared on the party’s official platforms. Many show cartoon figures of Muslims fleeing scenes linked to the voter verification process. One image shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi blocking holes while rats peep out. Another shows pig-like figures running from a harvesting machine labelled SIR. A third shows a Muslim family escaping smoke from a mosquito coil. Analysts say these visuals dehumanise Muslim communities and present them as threats.
The campaign also includes a movie-style poster. It shows opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, and Mamata Banerjee in Muslim attire. The message implies that any criticism of the SIR process aligns with “infiltrators”. Critics say the narrative collapses the difference between Indian Muslim citizens and foreign migrants.
The Election Commission has not released full data on the SIR process. Analysts point to Bihar’s figures, where foreign nationals formed only 0.012 percent of the electorate. They say this shows how the “infiltrator” narrative lacks evidence.
Similar messages have appeared in other BJP-led states. Assam Minister Ashok Singhal posted an image linked to the 1989 Bhagalpur massacre. Assam BJP accounts have also shared content that targets Muslims. Observers say this shows a pattern of coordinated messaging across the party’s digital networks.
