Amana Begam Ansari is a columnist, writer, and TV news panellist. She runs a weekly YouTube show called ‘India This Week by Amana and Khalid’. She tweets @Amana_Ansari.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement in Hisar—suggesting that if Waqf properties were better utilized, Muslim youth wouldn’t have to mend punctures—has sparked widespread concern. While superficially aimed at economic upliftment, the undertone carried a derogatory stereotype, reducing an entire community’s aspiration to menial labor. This comes across not as inclusive intent, but as thinly veiled prejudice.
What makes matters more alarming is the inconsistency in the Prime Minister’s rhetoric. On one hand, he speaks of the development of the Muslim community, while on the other, he repeatedly makes inflammatory and degrading comments. In the past, during the Delhi elections, he called on voters to identify Muslims by saying, “Kapdon se pehchana ja sakta hai in logon ko” (You can recognize them by their clothes)—a clear communal dog whistle. Such remarks have been part of a larger pattern of speeches that subtly or overtly alienate Muslims and reinforce religious divides.
Human Rights Watch and other watchdogs have documented numerous such incidents, pointing to a persistent trend of divisive language coming from the highest office. Rather than working towards unity, these comments sow distrust and deepen societal fault lines.
This duality—preaching upliftment while practicing vilification—raises serious questions about the authenticity of the outreach to the Muslim community.
In India we need wider acceptance for the idea that dignity and worth belong to individuals. We could learn from the writer Ayn Rand that, “Degrees of ability vary, but the basic principle remains the same: the degree of a man’s independence, initiative and personal love for his work determines his talent as a worker and his worth as a man.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement in Hisar—suggesting that if Waqf properties were better utilized, Muslim youth wouldn’t have to mend punctures—has sparked widespread concern. While superficially aimed at economic upliftment, the undertone carried a derogatory stereotype, reducing an entire community’s aspiration to menial labor. This comes across not as inclusive intent, but as thinly veiled prejudice.
What makes matters more alarming is the inconsistency in the Prime Minister’s rhetoric. On one hand, he speaks of the development of the Muslim community, while on the other, he repeatedly makes inflammatory and degrading comments. In the past, during the Delhi elections, he called on voters to identify Muslims by saying, “Kapdon se pehchana ja sakta hai in logon ko” (You can recognize them by their clothes)—a clear communal dog whistle. Such remarks have been part of a larger pattern of speeches that subtly or overtly alienate Muslims and reinforce religious divides.
Human Rights Watch and other watchdogs have documented numerous such incidents, pointing to a persistent trend of divisive language coming from the highest office. Rather than working towards unity, these comments sow distrust and deepen societal fault lines.
This duality—preaching upliftment while practicing vilification—raises serious questions about the authenticity of the outreach to the Muslim community.
#StopHatePolitics #UnityNotDivision #RespectAllCommunities #ResponsibleLeadership
In India we need wider acceptance for the idea that dignity and worth belong to individuals. We could learn from the writer Ayn Rand that, “Degrees of ability vary, but the basic principle remains the same: the degree of a man’s independence, initiative and personal love for his work determines his talent as a worker and his worth as a man.”