Dangerous campaign to portray all Muslims as ‘jihadis’ to polarise society; community leaders it promotes hate, risks livelihoods
NEW DELHI — A disturbing campaign has emerged in the Madhya Pradesh city of Indore where the son of a senior Bharatiya Janata Part (BJP) leader and former mayor, has reportedly been visiting shops in several markets asking traders to remove Muslim salesmen from their jobs.
The BJP leader’s son, Gaur, visited the city’s historic and the busy area, claiming that Muslim men working in shops were involved in so-called ‘love jihad’. He told shopkeepers to dismiss their Muslim employees immediately and to refuse hiring any Muslims in the future, reports reaching here said on Friday.
“This is nothing but open hatred,” said Abdul Rahman, a garment shop owner in Indore. “We have Muslim and Hindu staff working together peacefully for years. Calling every Muslim a ‘jihadist’ is poisoning minds for politics.”
Gaur’s statements have drawn sharp criticism from Muslim community leaders and rights activists, who say such remarks place innocent Muslim youths at risk. They accused him of spreading baseless fear to polarise Hindus and gain political mileage.
Community activist Shabana Ansari said, “These leaders are trying to portray an entire community as criminals. First, they talk about love jihad, then land jihad, then UPSC jihad. This is just a strategy to create fear and divide people.”
Activists say this pattern of accusing Muslims of imaginary ‘jihads’ has become common in political speeches. Terms such as ‘love jihad’, ‘land jihad’ and ‘population jihad’ are being used to build suspicion towards Muslims in general, reports said.
Local reports confirmed that Gaur specifically asked traders in Sheetlamata Market — the city’s oldest and largest women’s clothing market — to remove Muslim salesmen from their stores. Several shopkeepers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they felt pressured but refused to sack their staff.
“I will never remove my staff based on religion,” said shop owner Rajesh Jain. “They are honest workers. Religion has nothing to do with sales.”
Rights groups have warned that this campaign could encourage further discrimination and economic boycotts against Muslims. Such actions could leave many Muslim youths jobless and deepen social divisions.
Advocate Irfan Khan commented, “Leaders should unite society, not divide it. Creating fear of Muslims to gain votes is shameful. This goes against our Constitution and the spirit of India.”
Several civil society groups have now demanded action against Gaur for targeting Muslims. They called on the judiciary and the law enforcement to monitor hate speeches and take strict steps to prevent communal polarisation.
“This kind of hate is a threat to India’s social fabric,” said social worker Farida Begum. “We must stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters, not isolate them.”
As tensions grow, many in Indore say they want peace, not politics based on division. Shopkeepers across the market have urged political leaders to stop using religious hatred for votes and let people work together as Indians.
