On a Thursday in New Delhi, Congress lawmakers slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his latest comment about the growth of the Muslim population in India.
Jairam Ramesh, a senior congress MP and the party’s communications secretary, called Shah a “Weapon of Mass Disinformation” and a “Weapon of Intimidatory Mass Polarisation.” The remarks were made after Shah suggested that a rise in Muslim numbers was due to infiltration from neighbouring countries.
Shah’s claim was that the Muslim population grew by 24.6% between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, compared with 16.8% for Hindus. He blamed infiltration for the difference. Ramesh said Shah was spreading false stories designed to stoke division and frighten voters ahead of the next elections.
Earlier today, fellow Congress MP Pawan Khera criticized Shah on the social‑media platform X. Khera said Shah’s attack was a deliberate attempt to inflame Hindu‑Muslim tensions and split voters. He pointed out that Congress had deported almost 89,000 Bangladeshi nationals from 2005 to 2013, while the BJP has removed fewer than 10,000 in the same period. Khera wrote, “If the Muslim population rose because of infiltration, what was the Home Minister actually doing in the past 11 years?”
Shah responded that between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, Muslims grew faster than Hindus, but he stopped short of providing detailed evidence of intrusion. He stressed that the figures reflect actual demographic changes, not a political agenda.
The censuses show a steady decline in the share of Hindus and a rise in the share of Muslims over the decades. In 1951, Hindus made up 84.1% of the population, while Muslims were 9.8%. By 2011, Hindus were 79% and Muslims 14.2%. The growth rate for Muslims (24.6%) outpaced that of Hindus (16.8%) from 2001 to 2011, a point the BJP says supports its claim of infiltration, while critics argue the data simply shows natural demographic trends.
The exchange has sparked fresh debate over how the country’s population changes are discussed politically and how demographics are used in campaign rhetoric. The congress leaders want to highlight what they see as a double standard in the BJP’s approach to immigration and national security. The fallout will likely play in the lead‑up to India’s next general election.
Source: aninews
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