Militant Hinduism

Religious nationalism is more dangerous than religious fundamentalism because it plays with two identities: religious and national. All of a sudden people belonging to all religious faiths except that of the majority become enemies if not traitors. The five years of Mr Narendra Modi’s reign have converted India into what some observers have labelled as “a Republic of Hate”. Muslims, Christians and even Hindu Dalits have been the targets of violent attacks during the last five years.

Anyone who questions such attacks and intolerance is labelled as anti-national. The only true patriot in present India is a militant Hindu who carries the venom of hatred in his heart. The Prime Minister and his confidante Mr Amit Shah also express their hatred for the minority communities in their speeches and even go to the extent of making venomous statements against certain states and regions of the country which are populated by Muslims and Christians. Mr Modi’s utterance about Mr Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest the elections from Kerala’s Wayanadu constituency ["Congress ke naamdaar ne microscope le kar bharat mein ek aisi seat khoji hai jahan par vo muqabala karne ki taakat rakh sake. Seat bhi aisi jahan par desh ki majority minority mein hai. (The Congress dynast went out with a microscope to look for a safe seat to contest and selected a seat where the majority is in minority)"] is just one example. Mr Shah went one up on that by declaring Wayanadu to be a Pakistan in India.

With such leaders at the helm of affairs, India need not hope for communal harmony. An American organisation, Open Doors, has listed India as the tenth most dangerous country for Christians. Three years ago, Humanists International described India as a “Nightmare for Minorities” and reported that “more than 600 known attacks” have taken place against Christians alone after Mr Modi came to power in 2014.

Attacks on Muslims and Dalits are perhaps even more rampant and are generally reported by the Indian media. Factchecker.in has reported that 90 percent of religion-based hate crimes in the last decade occurred after Mr Modi took office. The police seldom take action against the perpetrators of such violence. Instead the victims are further harassed by the police and government agencies.

A survey carried out by NDTV claims that “communally divisive language” in speeches by elected officials shot up nearly 500 percent between 2014 and 2018. 90 percent of those speeches were made by BJP leaders.

It is pertinent to think of what India will be if Mr Modi comes to power once more. The increasingly vitriolic language spoken by Modi and Shah indicates that India is going to witness more violence and bloodshed if the country does not exercise its franchise wisely in the ongoing Parliament elections.