India's 'Infiltrator' Tag: Election Season's Favorite Ethnic Cleansing Slogan
Al Jazeera highlights the plight of Bangla-speaking Muslims in India's Bihar, conveniently rebranded as 'Bangladeshi infiltrators' by right-wing Hindu nationalist groups ahead of elections. This isn’t new; leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, have weaponized similar dehumanizing labels for decades, painting the minority as a national threat. Consider the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA),
which explicitly offers a pathway to citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries, effectively codifying discrimination against Muslims. The 'infiltrator' narrative isn't about facts; it's about consolidating power through fear-mongering and the strategic disenfranchisement of a voting bloc. It's fascinating, isn't it, how 'national security' always seems to require sidelining
human rights right before an election? One might wonder if the 'threat' isn't from 'infiltrators' but from any community that might vote inconveniently.