Bulldozers are a symbol of intimidation and support for Muslims in India.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW JERSEY – The Indian Business Association (IBA) has come under fire for bringing bulldozer at the India Day Parades in two New Jersey cities in mid-August, apologized for the incident. The move was widely criticized as bulldozers are synonymous with anti-Muslim symbols in India.
Organizers called the action a divisive image that did not reflect their mission. So in a letter to the mayors of the two cities where the parade took place on August 14, IBA President Chandrakant Patel wrote that he offered his sincere apologies to all parties.
“The parade reflects the shame of our organization and offends minority American Indians, especially Muslims, in the region, state and country,” he wrote. Middle Eastern eyeWednesday (8/31/2022).
The bulldozer is decorated with a poster of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath, an Indian politician from the state of Uttar Pradesh, who earned the nickname “Bulldozer Baba”. The nickname he got due to the frequent use of excavators.
Since Modi took power in 2014, bulldozers have become a symbol of anti-Muslim and anti-minority hatred, with authorities using them to destroy the homes of activists, especially Muslim activists. They do this under the pretext that the building is illegal and has angered the United Nations and international human rights groups.
“Unfortunately, there was a bulldozer among the parade floats, which is a divisive image and does not reflect our mission,” reads the letter to Edison Mayor Samip Joshi and Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac.
“Parades should be and always have been to celebrate our Indian heritage and the inclusion and diversity among our many different cultures and religions,” the letter reads.
