‘What Message Silent PM Sending?’: Indian Muslims Slam Modi for Silence Over Dharma Sansad

Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) on Tuesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for maintaining silence over the recent Dharam Sansads held by Hindu right-wing organisations and targetting Indian Muslims. In a statement, the group called the PM’s silence “a mockery of Indian democracy.”

“The PM’s silence speaks volumes, is nothing short of a mockery of Indian democracy, a violation of the Indian Constitution which the PM has sworn to uphold during his swearing in. It has earned him the dubious distinction of being the only leader in the democratic world to remain mute witness to the public call for mass murder,” the IMSD’s statement said.

Anti-Muslim hate speeches were delivered at closed-door conclaves at Haridwar and Delhi where many speakers have dog whistled against and called for the killing of Muslims. Petitioners have moved the Supreme Court against the matter. Last week, the first arrest was made in the case filed against the Dharam Sansad held in Uttarakhand in December 2021.

Several groups of noted citizens, including the alumni of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have urged Prime Minister Modi to condemn such incidents . In a letter to the PM, the IIT alumni reminded the PM that on top of rising “unemployment and masses of people being pushed into poverty”, the country is “now faced with the grave danger from rising calls for genocide of one community.”

However, there has not been a single word from the prime minister over this heated subject.

“His maun is inexcusable, even if understandable, considering that the Dharam Sansad is an integral part of Hindutva’s hate factory to which the PM himself provides fuel through his own frequent dog whistles,” the IMSD said in its recent statement.

The group said that the PM’s campaigns assuring “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas” were insincere because of how Muslims were being treated on ground.

“The PM said nothing when in 2020 a Union minister in his government, Anurag Thakur, gave the “goli maaro saalon ko” call at a public rally in Delhi. And his refusal now to break his chuppi over the genocidal call is part of the same sordid drama,” the statement said.

The nearly 300 signatories of the statement wondered whether Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) supremo Mohan Bhagwat’s recent proclamation that “if any Hindu says Muslims should not remain in India, he is not a Hindu” was an usual “double speak” given he was now silent over this call fro violence against Muslims.

“What message are a maun PM and a maun Bhagwat sending out to Indian Muslims in particular and the world in general?” the IMSD asked in its statement.

Actor Naseeruddin Shah, poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar and filmmaker Anand Patwardhan were among the statement’s the 278 signatories from all walks of life.