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Unchecked hate? BJP again posts communal video; Cong complains

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Congress on Sunday filed a complaint against BJP over a video shared by the saffron party’s official Karnataka handle a day prior.

The animated video (a screengrab) posted on the micro-blogging site X (previously Twitter) had drawn flak for demonizing Muslims.

The clip was captioned “Beware. Beware. Beware” in Kannada.

It depicts Congress MP from Wayanad and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah placing an egg labeled Muslims next to three eggs in single nest marked as SC (Scheduled Caste), ST (Scheduled Tribe) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The “Muslim” egg hatches a bird depicted with a skull cap and a beard. Gandhi promptly gives bird feed labeled “funds” to only Muslim bird while the fledglings labeled SCs, STs and OBCs starve.

The “Muslim” bird then grows bigger and then evicts the remaining birds.

The Congress, however, has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against BJP national president JP Nadda, party state president BY Vijayendra and their Information Technology Department in-charge Amit Malviya for allegedly intimidating communities falling under SC, ST and OBC categories for not vote for Congress candidates to create feelings of enmity, hatred and ill-will among different communities.

Clip draws ire The BJP’s post had drawn sharp criticism from various quar ters including Opposition parties, artists, academics, journalists and commentators.

Actor Prakash Raj reckoned that the BJP had overplayed their “Hindutva” card, adding that it’ll backfire.

“Shameless @BJP4Karnataka. MARK my WORDs. Inclusive and peace loving Karnataka and our country will teach you a befitting lesson for your disgusting hate spreading communal politics. #SaveDemocracySaveIndia from these bigots #justasking,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Nitasha Kaul, a British academic of Kashmiri origin said that the video was reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s caricatures that dehumanized Jews.”

Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Manickam Tagore said: “The [Election Commission] must wake up to its responsibility and address the divisive tactics of the BJP.”

Trinamool Congress MP Saketh Gokhale said: “It [Election Commission] has been reduced to a joke – a cruel joke that is supervising and encouraging the complete destruction of a fair electoral process built over decades.”

“Shame is an understatement. This election officially has no rules left anymore for BJP or Modi,” he added.

The saffron party has taken its cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he falsely claimed in a speech in Banswara, Rajasthan on April 21 that Congress manifesto spoke of redistributing Hindu resources to Muslims, branding thecommunity “infiltrators” and “those with more children”.

The BJP’s social media handles then released multiple videos on the same themes.

BJP’s Instagram handle had posted an animated video that portrayed Muslims as invaders that looted Hindu women’s gold. The video was then deleted.