evidence: The events throw a spotlight on the religious strains in places like Nayabans since prime minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the national level in 2014 and in Uttar Pradesh in 2017. Tensions are ratcheting up ahead of the next general election, due to be held by May. The BJP said it was "bizarre" to assume the party would benefit from any religious disharmony, dismissing suggestions that its supporters were largely responsible for the tensions. "In a large country like India nobody can ensure that nothing will go wrong, but it’s our responsibility to maintain law and order and we understand that," party spokesman Gopal Krishna Agarwal said. "But people are trying to politicize these issues." [...] Asked if there was any bias against Muslims, Uttar Pradesh government spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh — who is also the state’s health minister — told Reuters: "We believe in equality and our motto is sabka saath, sabka vikas", using a Hindi phrase often used by Modi that means "collective effort, inclusive growth". [...] Muslims say they increasingly feel like second-class citizens in their own country. "The BJP will definitely benefit from such incidents," said Tahir Saifi, a Muslim community leader a few miles from the area of violence who supports a regional opposition party in Uttar Pradesh. "They want all Hindus to unite, and when religion comes into the picture, other issues like development take a back seat."