ISLAMABAD: The BJP-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is actively promoting a divisive agenda with the aim of establishing India as an exclusively Hindu state governed by the BJP.
This has raised concerns about a declining political discourse within the country.
On December 4, a clash between Meiteis and Kukis in India’s Manipur state resulted in the death of 13 Kukis. Meiteis, mostly Hindus residing in the Imphal valley, clashed with Nagas and Kukis, mainly Christians living in the hills. Over the past seven months, the state has witnessed 180 deaths, mostly Christians, amid escalating clashes, further fueling religious tensions.
The BJP’s commitment to its Hindutva philosophy, aimed at securing votes, is causing harm to people of different religions and minorities. India’s recent decision to adopt the name “Bharat” is seen as another step towards saffronizing the nation. The government, led by Prime Minister Modi, is pushing to make India a Hindu country, neglecting the rights of other communities. This approach is exacerbating divisions and fostering militancy and state-sponsored purges.
The situation, for example, in Manipur is terrible, with violence between different groups escalating, and the BJP secretly supports the Hindu groups. The policies of Hindu supremacy, xenophobia, and religious division initiated by Modi’s party have intensified existing racism in the state. The government’s favoritism towards the Meitei, who are mostly Hindu, has exacerbated the plight of the Kuki, who are predominantly Christian and have faced accusations of drug trafficking, resulting in forced displacement.
Under the BJP-led government, India is now identified as one of the ten nations at the highest risk of mass killings, according to the “Early Warning Project.”
The current state of India contrasts with the vision of its freedom fighters, who aspired to create a nation where everyone enjoys freedom and equality. However, the BJP’s divisive tactics have made this dream elusive.
As a fascist party, the BJP employs slogans and polarization to control democratic processes, echoing the Colonialist idea of “divide and rule,” embraced by both Sangh Parivar and the BJP.
Since Prime Minister Modi assumed office in 2014, social media has been filled with reports of daily violence and hate across the country. India, once celebrated as the world’s largest democracy, has witnessed attempts by Modi’s party to divide the populace and transform the nation into a Hindu state.
The government has a history of letting right-wing Hindu extremists to target minorities, particularly Muslims, through attacks, lynching, and forcing them to recite Hindu religious slogans. The BJP government justifies these actions as patriotic and in line with protecting the country’s Hindu identity and culture, claiming it aligns with the law and the democratic will of the people who chose the BJP to be in power.
The international community should urge the BJP-led Indian government to transcend the ideology of Hindutva, refrain from supporting Hindu groups, and protect the lives of Christian minorities in Manipur state.
