In his bid for re-election, the Indian PM is ramping up sectarian rhetoric and weaponising state agencies against his opponents<\/p>\n
Abh ke baar 400 paar<\/em> (\u201cMore than 400 seats this time\u201d) has been the rallying cry of Narendra Modi\u2019s election campaign, as voting for India\u2019s 543-member lower house stretches on through the hottest months<\/a> of the year.<\/p>\n The prime minister\u2019s method of ruling a once vibrant and now wounded democracy relies heavily on a heady mix of religious polarisation, subservient institutions and the apparent misuse of state-controlled agencies against his opponents. On the campaign trail, he and his party have been busy peppering his speeches with anti-Muslim rhetoric<\/a>, in a seeming violation of India\u2019s election law, which expressly prohibits electioneering based on sectarian appeals to religion, caste, language or region.<\/p>\n Mahua Moitra is an opposition politician with the Trinamool Congress party<\/p>\n Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters<\/a> section, please click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n