Hindus a discriminated lot in own country

Like its predecessors, the saffron government too continues to discriminate against Hindus. Muslims are considered a minority even in the States where they are in majority but not vice versa.

Since the BJP-led NDA government under the leadership of Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, a few analysts have voiced apprehensions from time to time as to the nature of the State of India. An analyst claimed that the Modi government seeks to create a "Hindu state... where citizens with other religious beliefs are tolerated but have second‐class status."

Another analyst branded the events, such as the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya and revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, as "a calculated move... to consolidate the new majoritarian polity in India." Yet another analyst has come forward with an 'assessment' that "Hinduisation of India is near complete... The country's secular and inclusive ethos are already beyond repair." And, to top it all, one more analyst prophesied that India would become a Hindu Rashtra by 2025?

In a letter to Prime Minister Modi in April this year, over a hundred retired senior civil servants claimed that the administration of law under his government has become the means by which "the minorities can be kept in a state of perpetual fear."

One finds there is absolutely no substance in such assertions against the Modi government. India is far from moving towards any type of theocratic State, wherein the State accords primacy to the religion of the majority community. In India, there is no such primacy to Hinduism, the religion of the majority community. The present India is basically a secular State which gives preferential treatment to the followers of non-Hindu religions.

Like its predecessors, the Modi government cares a lot for the minorities in the country. It does reach out to the minorities on the occasions of their important religious festivals. In a message on Christmas yesterday, President Droupadi Murmu said, "I extend my heartiest greetings to all the countrymen, especially Christian brothers and sisters, on the festival of Christmas. This festival is a symbol of peace and brotherhood for the entire mankind... The festival of Christmas inspires us to treat each other with love and kindness."

In his message on the occasion, Prime Minister Modi too tweeted: "Merry Christmas! May this special day further the spirit of harmony and joy in our society. We recall the noble thoughts of Lord Christ and the emphasis on serving society." It may look symbolic but it proves that there is no basic change in the approach of the Modi government towards the minorities as compared to the previous non-BJP predecessors.

In fact, after the Modi government took over, it launched a campaign to provide basic amenities to ensure educational empowerment of minorities. During the first term of the Modi government between 2014 and 2019, the representation of minorities in the Central government employment increased from just about 4.9 per cent to 9.8 per cent.

Rather the fact is that, like its predecessors, the saffron government too continues to discriminate against Hindus in their own country. The term "religious minority" refers only to Muslims, and to some extent to Christians, but the religious communities who are minorities in its true sense, like Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, have been left out. Muslims are considered a minority even in the States/UTs where they are in majority, such as the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. So are the Christians in Meghalaya or Nagaland where they are in majority. On the other hand, the government considers the Hindus a majority even in the States/UTs where they are in minority.

Moreover, the government controls the religious affairs of Hindus but not that of the other religions. According to a report, there are 5,00,000 temples, 7,00,000 mosques and 35,000 churches in this country. In 2022-23, the Central government collected a revenue of Rs 24,000 crore from just six Hindu temples. However, it collects no such revenues from other religious places at all.

The government continues to discriminate against Hindus in the area of education also. Article 30(1) of our Constitution states: "All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice." Unlike the minorities, the Hindus cannot establish and administer the educational institutions of their own choice.

Moreover, the Modi government has taken no steps to annul or amend the 1991 Religious Worship Act, which is highly discriminatory towards Hindus. It has been used to deny the Hindus their fundamental right to take control of their ancient temples and worship in them. The Act is also being used to deny Hindus their right to perform rituals in their own temples. For instance, Hindu women had been worshipping in the Shringar Gauri temple in Kashi Vishwanath for centuries. In 1993, the then Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh stopped it.

However, there is no evidence to show the Modi government being ever soft to Hindus or, for that matter, even to followers of other religions originated from India like Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. According to a noted academic, Hindus are "eighth class citizens" in India today. Many Hindus have been living in Jammu since they were displaced from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) in October 1947. The Indian government has not yet granted them even the economic compensation that had been promised to them.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.