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Is India's election watchdog toothless against Modi?
When the prime minister of your country calls your community "infiltrators" you are left wondering if you really belong, said Sadaf Tasneem, a Muslim student from Lucknow in northern India.
"I have unintentionally become defensive of my identity in the face of continuous systematic and institutional attacks," she said.
Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a highly controversial campaign speech in western Rajasthan state.
"When they [the opposition Congress party] were in power earlier, they said that Muslims have the first right to the country's resources. So, who will they redistribute resources to? Those who have more children. Those who are infiltrators," said Modi.
"Will your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Will you accept that?"
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"Infiltrators" and "those with more children" are dog-whistle terms for Muslims often used by the Hindu right-wing.
Modi's speech might very well go against the guidelines included in the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during elections, which is enforced by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
"No party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic," reads the ECI guideline on using religion to influence voters.
Two days later, Modi once again singled out Muslims and accused the Congress party of planning to provide........
© Deutsche Welle
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