India’s 200 million Muslims and minorities are scared
Narendra Modi was sworn in for his second term as Prime Minister of India on May 30. Many factors contributed to his Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) landslide victory, but the two most important were national security and Hindu-nationalism. In his campaign slogans, Modi pitched himself as the 'chowkidar,’ the tireless watchman of India (albeit a Hindu India), standing guard against Pakistan. A great deal of damage, some of it now systematic, has been done to the pluralism of that country by his national security narrative and will have a long-lasting effect on both Indian society and its relationship with Pakistan.
The rise and triumph of Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) forces in the election effectively dismantled the idea of India as a plural and inclusive polity. With the erosion of the pluralist ideal of India, religious minorities are now afraid and for good reason; their independent cultural traditions are under threat.
During the election campaign, the BJP exploited already existing religious divides in order to take advantage of the Hindu majority vote, and therefore its media trolls excluded religious minorities, especially Muslims, and accused Congress of "Muslim appeasement" and a "soft" policy toward Pakistan. The constant Hindutva posturing and the blatant ignoring of minorities in the general election have cemented the alteration of secular India into a more Hindu state — a process that began in Modi’s first term and is now cemented. It multiplies fear and resentment towards minority groups, especially the Muslim community.
Mr. Amit Shah, President of BJP during the election, called undocumented Muslim immigrants “termites.” Yogi Adityanath, the BJP chief minister of India’s largest state Uttar Pradesh and an intensely anti-Muslim Hindu monk, referred to Muslims as the “green virus” (green is usually considered the color of Islam.)
Mr. Shah’s Hindutva based electoral strategy secured the BJP’s landslide victory but alienated minority groups from the mainstream Indian polity. He was not only included in the Cabinet but is given the portfolio of Union Home Minister, the second most crucial charge and portfolio in India. Many observers have been touting Mr. Shah as a potential successor to Mr. Modi because as home minister, he is second in command in the country and is also responsible for all matters relating to internal security.
Mr. Shah’s appointment as Union Home Minister frightened minorities, especially Muslims in India, due to his hardline speeches during the campaign and awarding a parliamentary ticket to Pragya Singh Thakur, a Hindu nationalist out on bail on terrorism charges in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, so that she could run for office.
With the erosion of the pluralist ideal of India, religious minorities are now afraid and for good reason; their independent cultural traditions are under threat.
Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal
He is a zealous supporter of the scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian Constitution which relates to Indian-administered Kashmir. His record indicates he will exaggerate the militaristic policy of a brutal approach in Kashmir rather than find a political solution, and his appointment will increase the sense of alienation among Kashmiris.
During the election, the Modi government increased tensions with Pakistan in order to muster the electoral support of nationalist forces in India, especially after the Pulwama incident in February, which brought the two countries to the brink of an all-out war and led to a dogfight in the skies over Kashmir.
It was reported: “In the weeks following the airstrikes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw a huge upsurge in his approval ratings, rising from 32% at the beginning of the year to over 60%.”
The three months of high alert at the border and the politicization of the army contributed positively to Modi’s election campaign even as it negatively affected the reputation of India’s armed forces. The new Modi government will uphold the previous government's muscular policy in its dealings with arch-rival Pakistan without allowing the escalation of the conflict at the Line of Control.
Besides, Prime Minister Modi has to address the shift in India's nuclear posturing toward Pakistan rationally. Many Indian security analysts have already expressed their severe reservations about Prime Minister Modi’s nuclear-related statements during his campaign. In one instance he quipped that the nuclear button was not reserved to be used on Diwali.
Shyam Saran, India's former foreign secretary said, "Many norms have been transgressed and several thresholds crossed in the ongoing Lok Sabha election campaign, whether in the communal and sectarian polarization of Indians or the politicization of the armed forces. Now another threshold has been crossed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his most recent remarks on India’s nuclear weapons delivered in a threatening tone.”
Of course it is difficult for Prime Minister Modi to abandon his charged election campaign, one that was implicitly anti-Muslim and resoundingly anti-Pakistan especially in recent months. A massive turnaround from the Hindu-nationalist rhetoric just doesn’t seem possible at this time. And so, in the middle of all the big politics, policy shifts and aggressive fear campaigns, it is Indian minority groups, most notable the 200 million Muslims of India, who have emerged the most vulnerable.
