Anger as Modi rails against Muslim 'infiltrators' with 'many children'

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, waves to his supporters at an election rally in Bangalore Photo: Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS

India&# 39;s main The opposition Congress party filed a complaint on Monday accusing Narendra Modi, the country's Hindu nationalist prime minister, of «blatantly attacking» the Muslim minority in an election speech.

At an election rally in Rajasthan over the weekend Mr Modi said the previous Congress government had said that “Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the country.”

He said that if the Congress wins, “it will be distributed among those who have more children. They will be distributed to the spies.»

He added: “Do you think your hard-earned money should be given to infiltrators? Would you accept that?

Critics have said the phrases refer to Muslims.

The world's most populous country is constitutionally secular, and its election code prohibits campaigning based on «communal feelings.»

Modi's powerful Hindu-centric policies are a key part of his election campaign, and his opponents accuse him of marginalizing India's 200 million Muslim population.

India's prime minister typically avoids explicit references to religion—the word Hindu does not appear in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 76-page election manifesto.

In its complaint to the Election Commission, the Congress party said that «defiant divisive, objectionable and malicious» comments were directed at «a particular religious community» and constituted a «flagrant and direct violation of election laws.»

They were «far worse than anything ever done by a sitting prime minister in the history of India,» the complaint said.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a spokesman for the Congress party, told reporters: «We hope that concrete action will help

Congress party's Abhishek Manu Singhvi wants to see 'concrete action'; against Modi's remarks Photo: Qamar Sibtain/India Today Group/Getty Images

Mr Modi and the BJP are widely expected to emerge victorious in India's marathon elections, which began last Friday with results announced on June 4.

Earlier this year, Mr Modi presided over the inauguration of a majestic temple to the deity Ram, built on the site of a centuries-old mosque demolished by Hindu fanatics.

The BJP has often referred to the temple during the election campaign . Gaurav Bhatia, a BJP spokesman, told reporters on Monday that Mr Modi calls «his spade a spade» and his remarks echo what people think.