The advise offered by Dhirendra Krishna Shastri (Parchiwale baba, whom Prime Minister Modi calls his younger brother) in this regard, evoked reactions in fish and meat-eating West Bengal. The state is on the eve of celebrating its biggest festival, Durga Puja. The BJP swept to power in in West Bengal in early-mid 2026. Even before this, the visibility of BJP’s political assertion in the state has been accompanied by promotion of Lord Ram (over Maa Kaali/Durga). This is a move which had previously yielded rich electoral dividends for it in North India, also affecting the electoral scenario in India as a whole.

As the BJP government settled in to ‘governance’ in the state, the season for the annual Durga Puja came. And the party in power invited Shastri of Bageshwar Dham as its passport to vegetarianism. This was a testing tactic, a well-honed technique tried by the far right sangh parivar, to test its schemes before an all-out imposition.  He visited West Bengal for a ‘Hanuman Katha’ in Howrah’s Liluah. He advised the people to keep non-vegetarian food away from Durga idols during the Puja. Similar advice was already proffered by the RSS affiliate, the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP). This triggered a storm among Bengali Hindus, including those calling themselves “Hindu nationalists”. There were statements and protests from prominent Bengalis that Shastri should not teach them how to celebrate Durga Puja and what to eat and what not.

The reaction was due to the fact that fish in particular but goat-meat too, during the Durga festival are almost mandatory to the menu. Many of them underlined that fish is very crucial to Bengali culture and the broad umbrella of Hindu religion has many tendencies where non-vegetarian food is part of the ritual. Many from former Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy to journalists and content creators, people from a diverse section, including those who described themselves as “Bengali Hindu nationalists”, retaliated. “Don’t tell a Bengali how to celebrate Durga Puja,” Kolkata-based content creator Shreyasi Biswas Banerjee wrote on Facebook. In the video (link attached), Biswas underlined that an “outsider” was prescribing rules for a festival embedded in Bengal’s distinct religious and culinary traditions. A few people even tore down posters of Shastri.

Suvendu Adhikari who had earlier received Shastri with great warmth thereafter attended a ceremony at a Durga temple and was seen consuming ‘Fish Prasad.’ A clear mitigatory gesture! Many right-wing sympathisers and detractors even stated that the core value of fish in Bengali culture.

India is a country full of diversities in all matters, food, clothing, language and religion. Hindus also have many sects and many diverse food habits. We have Kashmiri Pandits for whom Mutton dishes are as an inalienable part of their culture. The food habits are decided by multiple factors, geographical location being an important part of that. In Coastal areas, sea food is an important part of their diet.

However, the ruling regime has persisted this vegetarian imposition.

In the recently held BRICS meeting, in the Gala dinner (mid-September 2026), only vegetarian food was served. Indecently Xi Jing Ping skipped this dinner, whatever be his reasons! While serving only vegetarian food for international guests was criticised by the opposition parties, Kiran Rijiju, the minister and loyal handyman of the most powerful in the government, defended it by saying that the guests appreciated the menu.

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government (its chief minister is Yogi Adityanath) recently published a map of important food items of all districts of UP. In this culinary map, the much loved and savoured Lucknow’s Tunde kabab was missing!! Only vegetarian items were presented, as if UP consumes only the vegetarian food.

In yet another incident 14 Muslims were put behind the bars (some months ago) for having chicken biryani at their private Iftar party on a boat ride in Ganga River. Interestingly some Hindus who consumed liquor during another private boat ride were left un-policed.

Despite knowing the fact that nearly 70% of Indians are non-vegetarians, vegetarianism is being promoted by the BJP Governments, and at some places successfully. In Gujarat where BJP has been in power for the past three decades, non-vegetarian joints have been selectively invisibilised. Many people go to the restaurants near Gujarat border and satisfy their craving for non-vegetarian food.

This remains a dilemma for the majoritarian BJP: a balancing act between Indian’s prevalent food habits and their agenda of imposing vegetarianism. At every possible chance they and their cohorts try to push forward vegetarianism. Somehow BJP associates’ non-vegetarianism with Muslims (and Christians) in particular, never mind what history tells us about the food habits of early India. This bypassing of non-vegetarian food, an essential part of Indian food habits, irrespective of religion of the people is facing this dilemma. They get away with this aggressive vegetarianism in places like in Gujarat, however in WB, they are facing an opposition.

Human society has evolved through various stages, and food habits have always been very diverse. The aim of RSS-BJP and their political-cultural supporters remains to glorify vegetarianism purely for ideological reasons. There may be some other reasons for promoting Veganism or vegetarianism, but respect for people’s food habits is the starting point for a democratic society.

How much does this regime believe in democracy is free for all to see.

Related:

Non veg food ‘ban’: Student group plans protest at Delhi’s Hansraj College

Most Indians Non Vegetarian; Men More Than Women, South & East Most

Can majoritarian societal pressure re-write the rulebook? The illegality behind forced non-veg shutdowns during festivals

The post Politics through a forced imposition of food habits appeared first on SabrangIndia.

These rising classes, coming up due to industrialisation, communication and modern education, looked forward to a country where  an inclusive nationalism will ensure the peace and progress of the country. Class-wise this was a broad generalization,  while few exceptions were scattered here and there. To oppose or ignore these trends towards modern India, we also had the declining sections of earlier rulers/dominant sections of society who were steeped in the feudal values of hierarchy of caste and gender. Those; who were rooted in the values of patriarchy and glorified the times when the values of Kingdoms/feudalism prevailed. They mostly opposed the freedom movement and insisted on ‘glorious ancient’ times.

They imposed a method of looking backwards while walking forwards. These tendencies came from the landlords. Kings etc. who were scared of the ripples of empowerment of workers/Dalits/women and Adivasis. They typically glorified their kings of their religion and the social values related to those times. The Muslim League had mainly support from the nawabs and Landlords, while Hindu Mahasabha-RSS had supporters from Rajas, Landlords and clerics. They opposed the emerging values of democratic society, modern education for all and struggle against the British. These tendencies regarded religion as the base of Nation, well-articulated by Savarkar in his book, Hindutva or ‘Who is a Hindu’. This was a painful counter to the ongoing anti-British struggle of the national movement. The partition of the country on the basis of religion was the biggest stab in the back of Indian Nationalism.

The Constituent Assembly well represented the diversity of the country. Ambedkar who had burnt Manu smriti was asked to chair the crucial drafting committee. Soon after the Constitution was formed, the RSS mouthpiece Organiser came with a scathing criticism of this on the grounds that it does not have the ancient values of Manu smriti. The images of Ambedkar and Nehru were burnt by these elements.

The independent India had the twin leadership of Nehru-Patel, both staunch followers of Gandhi. While Patel successfully integrated most of the Princely states, Nehru implemented the vision of Modern India by ensuring that the Constitution is implemented in letter and spirit. ‘One person One Vote’ was implemented successfully and roots of democracy were planted deep with Nehru’s undying faith in democracy and secularism, which in a way are twins. His plan of Modern education (IITs, IIMs, AIIMS to name a few) laying the foundation of the public sector, focus on irrigation and implementation of reservation policy did ensure some march towards equality. Some commentators who compare Pakistan and India’s plight a few decades earlier stated that India’s achievements and Pakistan’s failure (In education, industrialization) can also be attributed to many factors, but the central factor was the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru in India.

Now from the last few decades the rise of Hindu right wing, RSS and its progeny have changed the direction of national goals and ideas. Now authoritarian politics in the name of Hindu religion is taking the CenterStage, and has undermining the idea of India which emerged during our freedom movement. Those who were standing on the by lanes and opposing the freedom movement and its values of inclusion and equality of all are now dominating and the development of the country has come to a halt. The walls of hate against religious minorities are out to demolish the values of fraternity in our society. The recently held movement against the failure of the examination system has definitely broken the arrogance of this regime, but the direction and goals of Hindu nationalism are very much intact. The battle to restore our democratic spirit and values of the Indian constitution needs a protracted and long struggle.

RSS combine has sowed hatred very deep in the society, it has also infiltrated all the facets of Indian state. The dissatisfaction due to its policies has peaked and surfaced strongly with the Cockroach movement. This has ensured that the inhibition imposed by the ‘elected autocratic’ regime may loosen up a bit for the time being. The deeper wound inflicted by the RSS combine may not be easily overcome. It has affected the body politics in a very deep manner. A regime change from the one committed to Hindu nationalism to the one devoted to the Indian Constitution is what is needed in the due course. The false hood-based narratives which have made a place in popular understanding need to be countered by the narratives built around love and friendship of Indian people from centuries, the narratives around which Bose, Gandhi, Patel and Nehru strove to instil them among the in the Indian people. The Jantar mantar phenomenon is the first step towards recovering India’s being as the centuries old civilization struggling to make its deserving place in the comity of nations.

The condition of minorities needs to be brought to the level of ‘equal citizenship’. The Authoritarianism of the Government needs to be undone and we need to resume nation building on a rational and scientific basis. The Jantar mantar initiative is just the beginning, a long way to go to restore the dreams of Gandhi and Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh and Subhash Bose, Maulana Azad and Sardar Patel. Wishing all a happy Independence Day.

Related:

Sharia, Manusmriti or the Indian Constitution

Identity issue to the fore: Vande Mataram controversy

The post Looking Forward to 79th Independence Day: Whither Democracy! appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This Ayodhya Ram Temple construction came as a part of the follow-up of the Babri Mosque’s demolition in 1992, which was destroyed as part of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation[1].

This agitation had shaken the country with Rath Yatras led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Lal Krishna Advani, as part of the BJP-RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) campaign to restore the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. As per their make-believe propaganda, Babar, the first Mughal emperor, had destroyed the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the “birth place” of Lord Ram, to build a mosque in his name.

Keeping the long drawn-out debate aside, the BJP-RSS succeeded in their plan, with alleged collaboration by sections of the judiciary. Right from that time, a huge fund collection drive was going on, in parallel. After the mosque’s demolition, the Liberhan Commission opined that Advani, MM Joshi and Uma Bharati (all top BJP leaders) among others were “culprits” with regard to the demolition of the mosque. Even the Supreme Court judgement conceded that demolition of the Babri Mosque was a crime.

While finding that those who demolished the Mosque (Babri) ‘had committed a crime’, the guilty were rewarded with the land on which the mosque stood to build this Ram Temple. More funds started pouring in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a double role — of Chief of State and the Chief Priest — to inaugurate the temple, reported India Today. Overall; it was he who was said to be the Decider-in-Chief of all the matters related to the Ram temple.

The quality of the structure became obvious the next rainy season after the construction of the ground floor. The ceiling started leaking giving a boost to the bucket industry as those had to be used to keep the floor dry. Devotees started thronging and the PM) (Prime Minister’s Office) was said to be in control of all the arrangements for donation collection. The extent of collections can be gauged from the fact that the Vishwa Sindhi Samaj stated that it had donated nearly 200 silver bricks, weighing a kilo each, for which they did not receive any receipt. Many rich donations in different forms were made. The total amount allegedly siphoned off by the trustees is estimated to be between Rs 2,000-3,000 crore. As per a report in the News Minute.

To cut a long story short, the cat is out of the bag that the temple was the scene of plunder of wealth. The implication of this will be known in the coming times. The whole Ram Temple campaign was primarily done for political purposes. It did lead to the emergence of BJP as a ruling party; and also helped spread hate against Muslims to make its political base very solid.

We are in a democracy where fraternity has been done away with; the hatred with the orchestrated campaign of ‘Hate’ against Muslims’ in a spiral. One is reminded of kingdoms when kings used to plunder temples for their wealth. How do we contrast those temple destructions during the age of kingdoms and what is currently afoot under a semi-democratising society turning into elected autocracy? The lust for money remains the common factor while religious polarisation was not part of the kings who plundered. Now, polarisation is the main agenda of ruling communal forces.

Two major examples come to mind.

One is Raja Harshdev of 11th century Kashmir and the plunder of Somnath by Mahmud Ghazni. Temples and holy places were destroyed by other kings, too. Historian Romila Thapar in Past and Prejudice session to Khoj teachers in Mumbai (then Bombay) explained, ‘Why rulers patronised and pillaged others’ religious places. Polymath D. D. Kosambi points out, “King Harsha of Kashmir (AD 1089-1101), not to be confused with seventh-century emperor Harsha, systematically melted down all metal images through the length and breadth of his kingdom, with just four exceptions. The work was carried out by a special ‘minister of uprooting gods’ (devottapatna Nayak).

Writer Asghar Ali Engineer pointed out, “About Mahmud Ghazni too, historians are quite selective in recording the facts. We highlight the fact that he plundered and destroyed Somnath Temple. But we do not throw light on the fact that he employed Hindus in high positions in his army and administration. Among the names of Hindu generals, names of Tilak, Sondhi, Rai Hind and Harjan are mentioned in Tarokhi-bayahaqi…Coins were issued in his reign with Sanskrit inscriptions.”

Temple destructions are attributed to having religious motives, as per the current social understanding. This was due to the implementation of the ‘divide and rule’ policy of the British, who implemented communal historiography. When Mahmud Ghazni destroyed Somnath Temple, before the act of destruction, he seized all the gold and silver idols of the temple, the total worth of these acquisitions should be more than twenty thousand gold dinars, a huge amount and big wealth. “… The King looked at idols in wonder and gave orders for seizing the spoils and appropriation of treasures. There were many idols of gold and silver and vessels set with jewels…the value of these things found in the temple exceeded twenty thousand dinars?”

Historian Romila Thapar writes, “temples were depositories of vast quantities of wealth, in cash, golden images and jewellery-the donations of the pious, these made them natural targets for non-Hindus searching for wealth in north India. The lust of Mahmud for gold was insatiable…the concentration of wealth in Somnath was renowned.” She further also points out “Religion did not count unless it could serve a definite political purpose, where it was exploited to the hilt.”

In popular perception, the novel ‘Jai Somnath‘ by Kanhaiyalal Maniklal Munshi played a major role in demonising Mahmud Ghazni and Muslims. It presented his forays to loot the temple as the one motivated by religious purpose alone, as an insult to Hindu religion. And further temple destruction by Muslim kings became the main propaganda of communal forces.

While many Muslims kings are singled out for destroying the temples, hardly attention is paid to the donations which many Muslim kings gave for Hindu temples. They received “copies of firmans (Court orders) of King Aurangzeb from great temples of Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain), Balaji Temple (Chitrakut) Umanand Temple (Gauhati), Jain temples of Shatrunjaya, and other temples and Gurudwaras scattered over North India. These farmans were issued from 1065 AH (1659) to 1095 AH (1685).”

The similarities between the temples destroyed by the likes of Ghazni and present Ram Temple Trust under the control of present dispensation is uncanny.

[1] Babri Masjid Demolition: A Point of Departure, and of Arrival; Teesta Setalvad

Social Scientist; Vol. 51, No. 1/2 (596-597) (January-February 2023), pp. 21-38 (18 pages) Published By: Social Scientist

Related:

Sanatan Shankryacharyas’ voice concerns over January 22 Ram Mandir event

Ram Mandir fundraising campaign a tool to gauge BJP’s popularity in Bengal?

Ram Mandir bhoomi-poojan: Why August 5?

The post Somnath to Ayodhya: Plunder to ‘Chanda Chori’ appeared first on SabrangIndia.

These controversies have been decades old. Early in the 2000s, the Shivaji Maharaj statue committee being headed by Babasaheb Purandare raised public ire as he was sought to be presented as a ‘Maharaj in Brahminical colours’. Another time, the decorative arch prepared during Ganeshotsva (Ganesh Festival) showing Shivaji stabbing Afzal Khan with a dagger provoked hate sentiments among sections of society. In contrast, in the early 2000s, a Handbook of History prepared by the educatinist-activist Teesta Setalvad recounted –with solid historical sources–the incident of Shivaji not being crowned by Brahmins as he was not a Kshatriya attracted violent protests from the far Hindutva right.

Currently two controversies have come up. One was the statement of Bageshwar Dham baba at a recent RSS function in Nagpur. Incidentally Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, the Baba, is resorting to blind faith techniques to attract a large following. In his bid to attract such a blind following, he takes out a chit to show the credentials of the people by using some tricks. He has attracted followers among the powerful and influential. Recently retired Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai visited him with his family to seek his blessings. Shyam Manav, working against blind faith has observed that during the central rule of BJP, blind faith has been given legitimacy and such ‘Baba’s have proliferated’.

Anyway, at this RSS function, this charlatan Baba stated that Shivaji Maharaj was tired of wars so he went to his Guru Samarth Swami Ramdas, put his crown on his feet and requested him to take over his kingdom. There were two gross fallacies in this statement. First, Ramdas was not Shivaji’s guru, this is a make believe Brahminical version of the Shivaji narrative. The matter had even gone to the Court which gave the verdict that Ramdas was not Shivaji’s Guru. There is no mention of such an incident in Shivaji’s life. This outrageous statement was made in the presence of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, none of whom objected!

When a hue and cry was raised, the ‘Baba’ apologised saying that he draws his inspiration of Hindu Rashtra from Shivaji’s Hindvi swaraj among other things. This again is far from the truth. Shivaji’s Hindvi swaraj was area specific, Hind being a geographic term rather than a religious term. Shivaji’s life exemplifies this. He respected all religions. His army had nearly 12 generals who were Muslims, Siddi Sambal, Ibrahim Gardi, Daulat Khan were among them. He had also got a mosque made in his fort of Raigad for his Muslim officers and subjects. His confidential secretary was Maulana Haider Ali. He had a deep respect for women. After one of Shivaji’s military campaigns, his chieftains had brought the beautiful daughter in law of Muslim ruler of Bassein as a ‘gift for him’. Shivaji was outraged and objected to this conduct, returned the woman to her family home with due respect. The Brahminical version based of Shivaji on the basis of which Dhirendra Shastri made his recent remarks is the narrative which only the far right RSS promotes.

The other controversy relates to BJP ally Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena MLA from Buldhana, Sanjay Gaikwad. Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad triggered a controversy by threatening to “chop off the tongue” of a publisher of the 1988 book ‘Shivaji Kon Hota?‘ (Who was Shivaji?) by Govind Pansare. Gaikwad objected to the alleged disrespectful, singular reference to Shivaji Maharaj in the title and content, accusing it of distorting history. He called up the distributor of the book Prashant Ambi threatening him that he will meet the same fate as Govind Pansare. Rationalist Govind Pansare was shot at during a morning walk in Kolhapur, in February 2015 and succumbed to his injuries a few days leader. Far right Hindutva groups were responsible for the shooting—Narendra Dabholkar a few years previously, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh thereafter were three more rationalists who met a similar fate. In a recorded phone call, Gaikwad allegedly used abusive language and threatened Kolhapur-based publisher Prashant Ambi, telling him that he would “meet the same fate as Pansare”.

Govind Pansare, the CPI leader and rationalist activist wrote this book, after painstaking research and titled in Marathi, Shivaji Kon Hota (Who was Shivaji). Addressing him in singular form. This form is used for most intimate persons. Gaikwad is objecting to that as an insult to Shivaji. The book was published in 1988 and since then has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and has been translated in many languages. In fact, this book is a basic introduction to the iconic Shhivaji Maharaj. The contents reveal historical facts the concern of Shivaji for raiyats (poor farmers) and respect for all religions. His grandfather Maloji Rao Bhosle had prayed at a Sufi saint (Shah Sharif) Dargah, as he had no children. Later when he got two sons, he named them Shahji and Sharifji. Shivaji was son of Shahji Bhosle.

Shivaji built his kingdom by attacking the neighbouring Hindu Kings like Chandra Rao More. In his fight with Afzal Khan, the general of Adil shah of Bijapur, he was given the iron claws by a Muslim bodyguard, Rustom-e-Jaman. Interestingly Afzal khan had performed a Yagna through local Brahmins to defeat Shivaji. In addition, his secretary was Krishnaji Bhaskar Kulkarni. Interestingly Shivaji’s humane values were matchless. He did kill Afzal Khan but later he also built a tomb for Afzal Khan, which is present even today. The likes of Gaikwad and Hindu nationalist narratives omit these aspects of Shivaji in their bid to serve political propaganda: to present him as an anti-Mulim King, which he was not. In Maharashtra and now all over India the propaganda being promoted by the far right is that Shivaji was an anti-Muslim ruler. This narrative falls flat if we study the life and work of Shivaji. His main concern was the poor peasants for whose protection he stopped the atrocities of middlemen, to a great relief for the poor peasants.

Therefore, the Brahminical tendencies interpret and propagate Maharaj as anti-Muslim, distorting the whole truth; this is what Gaikwad is aiming at. Dhirendra Shastri and RSS combine want to project this interpretation of Shivaji to promote their agenda of a Hindu Rashtra, while his Hindvi was not synonymous with Hindu Rashtra.

The most interesting part of the whole controversy is that most booksellers are facing the demand for this book in increasing numbers. At the same time, the Human rights groups are organizing the mass reading of the book, a very healthy response to this vilification of a great ruler!

Related:

Shivaji in ‘secular’ Maharashtra

The post Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: An inclusive ruler appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The issue was the discrepancy in the rise of population in Northern and Southern states. Roughly in Northern states the TFR (Total Fertility rate) being higher than the one in Southern states, this delimitation exercise will give more weightage to Northern states, where the hold of Hindu nationalist BJP is higher. The southern states are wary of this and so came out in full strength to oppose it. BJP is crying hoarse that opposition parties are humiliating the women by opposing the amendment. This apparent support of BJP to Women’s representation is just a façade. The other steps in the empowerment of women have generally been taken up by the Indian National Congress in general. We see that right from the freedom movement when it was leading the national movement against colonial powers INC gradually ensured that women are not only part of the process of ‘India Nation in the making’ but also part of the movements opposing British rule.

It did encourage women’s being part of the various phenomena of national life. After the marathon efforts by Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule to give education to women, they did start coming to social space and played an important role in the struggle for independence. Chayanika Shah points out that INC had several women Presidents, then a woman Prime minister, woman Chief Minister, and woman President in its trajectory. Taking this process of empowerment at grass root level structures, Rajiv Gandhi was keen not only in Panchayati Raj but also for increased representation of women in these institutions.

Let us contrast all this with the hyperbole of Narendra Modi. There is no record of any affirmative action of women during the BJP (i.e. NDA) rule of Vajpayee years or Modi years. There seems to be an ideological connection between the BJP politics of Hindu Nationalism and their agenda of the role of women in politics. BJP is the political progeny of RSS, which is an exclusively male organization. When Laxmibai Kelkar (1936) requested the then RSS Chief Hedgewar to let women be part of RSS, she was advised to form a subordinate organization, Rashtra Sevika Samiti (Rss) and not permitted to join the RSS.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh stands for Volunteers, while Rashtra Sevika Samiti stands for servants. This tells us that the Swayam (being) of women is in control of men. This is in tune with the mandate of Manu smriti. This holy book was upheld by RSS all through and even now this RSS combine holds that Indian Constitution is based on Western values and so should be scrapped (Rajendra Singh, Rajju Bhaiyya’s statement) and be replaced by a Holy Indian book, i.e. Manu Smriti (as per Sudarshan, another Sarsanghchalak of RSS)

In BJP’s policies, this is also reflected in the awarding of Gandhi Peace Prize to the Gita Press, Gorakhpur a year ago. This was done by a jury headed by Narendra Modi. While giving the award Modi stated that “They have done commendable work over the last 100 years towards furthering social and cultural transformations among the people,”  Akshaya Mukul in his masterly study of Gita Press shows how Gita Press has played a major role in transforming the teachings of Manu Smriti into popular small booklets which are sold in lakhs of copies. These uphold husbands’ beating of wives, glorifying playing second fiddle to men and total subordinating to men in their lives, Father; Husband and Son in different phases of life. Reported ACADEMIA.

BJP’s own history is full of such humiliating statements from their office bearers, which uphold the abominable practices against women including Sati. In the context of the Roop Kawar incident, the then BJP Vice President Vijaya Raje Scindia took out a procession supporting the practice of Sati. The slogan of the procession was that committing sati is not only a glorious tradition of Hindu women, it is also their right!

Another leader Mridula Sinha, (BJP Mahila Morcha) who was Governor of Goa a few years back had given an interview to Savvy Magazine. (April 1994) In this she upholds the wife beating by husband and dowry system.

The 2021 data of the National Crime Records Bureau reveals that on average, eighty-six women were raped every day in India, while forty-nine cases of crimes against women were lodged every single hour. The overall number of crimes against women per one hundred thousand of the population increased from 56.3 in 2014 to 66.4 in 2022.

During the present regime how the cases of sexual violence and harassment have been handled become clear in the cases of women’s sexual harassment. Several of these cases found their way into the mainstream news, such as the gang rape of a minor girl by a BJP legislator in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, in 2017; the repeated gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Kathua, Kashmir, in 2018; and the gang rape of a Dalit girl in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, in 2020” Women wrestlers complaints against Braj Bhushan Sharan Singh were ignored in toto. The case of women’s plight in Manipur is beyond words. As per reports in the JACOBIN.

While women MPs of BJP and others are making a lot of noise over the fall of this amendment bill the issue is why link it with delimitation. Why no move that with present strength of MPs only; why it should not be implemented with 2023 bill? We need to raise our voice to delink delimitation from the Women’s reservation bill and to call for its implementation right away as per the 2023 bill.

Related:

Women’s Reservation – 13 Questions to Modi And His Associates in Government – Just Asking !!

Womens Reservation Bill 2026: Women’s Rights & the RSS

Procedure for tabling bills on women’s reservations & delimitation both opaque and non-consultative: Experts and Citizens

The post Amendment to Women’s Reservation Bill: BJP’s hyperbole on women appeared first on SabrangIndia.

After partition Muslim communalism asserted itself in Pakistan, eroding the possibility of the country becoming a thriving democracy. Social and economic progress was the biggest victim here diminishing the possibility of its transition into a modern state with progress, peace and Amity. India had a very secular leadership under Jawaharlal Nehru and he, with others, laid the foundations of a nation which –until a few decades ago –was held up as a unique experiment with core syncretic values. However, communal forces that have risen over the last couple of decades are undoing the achievements of the first four-five decades of peace and amity. Hate against Muslims has been their core method; to increase their power and hold over society.

During this march towards converting an aspiring democracy into a sectarian nationalist state, those brandishing this majoritarian politics have devised newer and newer languages and slogans against Muslims in particular and also against Christians.

The situation is pathetic now. Social common sense is full of Hate against Muslims and this is increasing by the day. We saw Hindu communalism developing a mechanism to spread far and wide to the extent that Muslim ghettos are the order of the day, vegetarianism being asserted, love jihad, land jihad, Corona jihad have been commonplace words. Starting from the top leadership the foot soldiers implement this hate into practical violence leading to polarisation of society.

The top leadership throws up slogans like ‘Batenge to Katenge’, ‘Ek hain to safe hain’, they can be identified from their clothes, they proliferate like rabbits, Hindus will become a minority, Hindus are in danger; to name just the few.  On the top of this pyramid, the Assam Chief Minister, who was earlier in Congress and is now in BJP from last few years, has made statements against Miyas, (Bengalis speaking Muslims), which exceed all the earlier hate speeches against Muslims. On January 27, 2026, he stated ‘four to five lakh Miyas will be removed from the electoral rolls through SIR’. He went on to state “Vote chori means we are trying to steal some Miya votes. They should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh.” According to media reports, Sarma also openly instigated the public by saying, “Whoever can give trouble in any way should give, including you. In a rickshaw, if the fare is Rs 5, give them Rs 4. Only if they face troubles will they leave Assam.” Reported the Deccan Herald.

To cap it all he has recently released a video on social media showing him shooting through rifle and bullet going and hitting the skull capped man and the boy standing close to him. This tweet has been deleted now. Seeing all this the renowned Human Rights activist and eminent author, Harsh Mander filed a petition against him for Hate speech to “Promote hatred, harassment and discrimination against Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam.” He said he had sought prompt action and the registration of an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.To this Sarma responded that he will file multiple FIRs against Mander for helping the Muslims during NRC process, and ensure that he is sent to jail. (Latest news reports suggest that after two petitions moved in the Supreme Court of India, Sarma has made a scapegoat of the BJP’s social media chief and sacked him, disclaiming all responsibility for the controversial, hate-filled, video—Editors).

So, what has happened to the syncretic culture which has been part of our land for centuries, where Azan Peer and Shankar Dev of Assam preached harmony and lived in Assam itself? So, what happened to the Hindu Muslim interaction in all areas of life, food, literature, architecture and religious festivals? One starts feeling hopeless in this scenario and feels despondent.

And then came the incident from Kotdwar in Uttarakhand. Here an old Muslim man was running a shop called ‘Baba school dress’ for the last 30 years. Bajrang Dal activists pounced upon him questioning how he can name his shop Baba, which for them means a Hindu figure. Seeing this Deepak intervened. As he was confronting the Bajrang Dal attackers the police was a mute spectator and police filed FIRs against Deepak Kumar and his friend. In another FIR against the Bajrang Dal activists the FIR is against unknown persons.

Details of Deepak Kumar’s stand and the backlash he faced may be read here.

So much hope was generated after this incident. The hope that humanism is not totally wiped in the flood of hate created by the followers of Hindu nationalism. Deepak is a living example of the thick Hindu Muslim relations which prevailed here but have become an exception by now. This exception shows the prevalence of earlier amity. Indian Currents reported, Deepak Kumar’s act of Humanism is worth 100 salutes. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of opposition, complimented Deepak Kumar and stated, “”Deepak is fighting for the Constitution and humanity—for that Constitution which the BJP and the Sangh Parivar conspire every day to trample underfoot. He is a living symbol of a shop of love in the marketplace of hate, and that is what stings those in power the most. The Sangh Parivar is deliberately poisoning the country’s economy and society so that India remains divided and a few continue to rule on the crutches of fear.” Reported the Hindustan Times.

Deepak Kumar himself had a very sweet answer as to why he called himself Mohammad. It was an act of solidarity and he said, ““Saraswati was sitting on my tongue, and that’s why, at that moment, the name ‘Mohammad Deepak’ came out of my mouth. I thought they would understand that I am Hindu, and that the situation, which was getting heated, would calm down. But instead, an FIR has now been filed against me.” Reported the Quint.

One only hopes and wishes we see more of people like Deepak Kumar who represent the true idea of India.

(This piece has been edited in part for language and style)

The post Mohammad Deepak: Upholding fraternity amidst a sea of hate appeared first on SabrangIndia.

There was a section of political opinion consisting of mainly conservative Hindus and those arguing that India should become a Hindu nation; who opposed the Constitution right from the start. The views of these leaders of Hindu nationalist politics, supported by a conservative section of society were articulated in an article in Organiser, the RSS mouthpiece, which opposed the Indian Constitution; saying that there is/was nothing Indian about it and that it will not be accepted by Hindus. Savarkar, went on to (CNBC TV18) say that Manusmriti is the Constitution today. In this spirit Swami Avimukteshwaranand recently stated (Navbharat Times) that Manusmriti is “above” the Indian Constitution.

This stream is not the only one within India to undermine the Constitution by showing the primacy of ‘word of God’ or sacred scriptures as above its docrine. Maulana Mufti Shamail Nadwi made a similar statement recently. This Maulana has come to prominence in the last few days after his debate with Javed Akhtar on “Does God exist?”. In a viral clip, he asserts that “Muslims erred by accepting secularism and the supremacy of national institutions over Shariah, criticises democracy and the notion of placing the nation (desh) above religion. He questions whether believers should passively accept court verdicts conflicting with Islamic law. These statements (The Chenab Times), while presented as theological opinions, have been interpreted by critics as undermining India’s constitutional secularism and promoting religious supremacy.”[1]

While Manusmriti is a scriptural compilation representing the values of Brahmanism, the dominant stream within Hinduism, Sharia is based on multiple things. Sharia (Arabic: the path) is the Islamic legal-ethical system derived from:

“Qur’an, Hadith (sayings/actions of Prophet Muhammad), Ijma (consensus of scholars) and Qiyas (analogy)” It guides personal conduct and law, not just punishments. In practice, Sharia is interpreted through schools of jurisprudence (Sunni: Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali; Shia: Ja‘fari), so there is a diversity within the legal system of Sharia.

Out of nearly 55 Muslim majority countries it shapes the laws etc. only in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan fully. It is partly i implemented in a few other Muslim majority countries. In India it forms a base in matters of Muslim personal laws only.

So, what does one do with changing times and the social patterns, which have occurred over a period of centuries when these laws were devised? Those indulging in politics in the name of religion in India harp on bringing in the Manusmriti and countries like Iran, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia are implementing the Sharia in entirety. In many Muslim countries it is not implemented or implemented only in part.

Can Sharia be above the Constitution as the Mufti claims? The legal luminary Faizan Mustafa in a video https://youtu.be/T8BCr27fA24 argues that in every country the Constitution is supreme. The Constitution does consider Sharia in many countries and integrates some aspects of that in the Constitutions.

So, what is the status of democratic institutions in Muslim majority countries? There are different degrees of ‘democracy’ in these countries.  At the moment many social media accounts have been criticizing Shamail for encouraging Muslims not to follow the Constitution, as an anti-patriotic act. On the other hand, many are praising the Mufti for upholding the Sharia! It is interesting to note that during the medieval period of Indian History, the Muslim Kings did not make the Sharia law obligatory for the state.

While Mufti Shamail has one opinion there are others like Asghar Ali Engineer, the foremost scholar of Islam in India; who have different idea about the role of Sharia viv a vis the Constitution. Dr. Engineer harps on Shura (Mutual consultation); to argue that democracy and related principles are possible in the contemporary World. Dr. Engineer says a Quranic concept – and modern-day representative democracy – merely a human concept – may not be exactly similar. However, “the spirit of modern democracy and the Qur’anic injunction to consult people is the same”.

As per him “New institutions keep on developing and human beings, depending on their worldly experiences, keep on changing and refining these institutions. And in the contemporary world, the concept of Shura should mean democratic process and constitution of proper democratic institutions of which elections are a necessary requirement.” The Qur’anic text not only gives the concept of Shura (democratic consultation) but “does not support even remotely any concept of dictatorship or authoritarianism”.

During India’s freedom struggle, which was based on democratic principles and aimed at democratic institutions, a very highly regarded Islamic scholar Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and a dedicated Muslim leader Khan Abdl Gaffar Khan (to name but a few) strove for the values and institutions of democratic secular country. Just a few years ago the Muslim women through the Shaheen Baug movement showed their democratic strength in protecting the community from the fear of disenfranchisement.

What is needed in contemporary times? In India as Muslims are being targeted by Hindutva politics, they have become a besieged community. The conservatism among Muslim community is on a sharp rise. The major issue confronting them is enforcement of their rights using the law and its instruments, asserting representation and accountability from modern institutions.

Even in Islam there are various streams of laws and systems of jurisprudence. Since this is part of Sharia, in that case what Sharia recommends will be another contentious issue. Since Muslims are a minority in this country, they already have Personal laws, which are again under opposition.

Today within the extreme Hindu right wing there is a dominant retrograde tendency trying to bring to fore the values of Manusmriti. Such assertions which want to bring inequality in the garb of religion are not welcome. We need to also look to some European countries where religion is on the back foot.

We are living in contradictory times. On one side human society has developed the principles of dignity and equality as represented in the UN charter and on the other religious right-wing has become stronger during the last few decades. While the Mufti may be knowledgeable in concepts of Islam, we also need to know what are the trends of contemporary society and values of democratic institutions.

[1] This controversial debate has been sharply questioned by political observers, funded as it was by the Maulana himself and his Wahyain Foundation (based in Kolkata) and the Delhi based “Academic Dialogue Forum” reportedly associated with social activist Shabnam Hashmi.

Related:

India 2025: Plight of the Christian minority

Identity issue to the fore: Vande Mataram controversy

Hindu Nationalism’s sectarian nationalism and its concept of ‘duties and rights’

The post Sharia, Manusmriti or the Indian Constitution appeared first on SabrangIndia.

One recalls that in the decade of the late 1990s, the violence manifested in Orissa and Gujarat.  And it is around that time that Atal Bihari Vajpayee commented that there is a need for national debate on the issue of conversion. Conversion has been the major pretext for attacking various events related to Christian community’s life. The prayers, the church meetings, the celebrations are the occasions when the attacks are orchestrated more. This year again it became manifest around the Christmas celebrations.

See Communalism Combat’s issue, in 1999 and 2007-2008 re-published in SabrangIndia on the violence in Dangs in South Gujarat during the Christmas of 1998 and the Kandhamal violence of 2008 in Orissa (Odisha) here and here.

The foot soldiers of Hindutva had a gala time attacking street vendors selling the Xmas wares like caps, dresses and associated things. At places they attacked the Santa Claus’s replicas, at others they vandalised churches and the showrooms selling Xmas wares. Tavleen Singh, the columnist wrote in Indian express, “The more intrepid of these Hindutva warriors stormed into churches and disturbed services with vandalism and violence. Videos of these ‘accomplishments’ were uploaded on social media. In one of them, I saw a BJP legislator enter a church in Jabalpur and harangue a blind woman, whom she accused menacingly of trying to convert Hindus to Christianity…there were nearly a hundred attempts to disrupt Christmas festivities and nearly all of them occurred in states ruled by the BJP. Nobody was punished and no chief minister openly deplored the violence.”

These events have been covered in the international media also. Few papers commented about the possibility of retaliatory violence against Hindus in those countries. The interesting aspect of the Indian states’ attitude against these events is their loud silence and it is no coincidence that most of this violence has been taking place in BJP ruled states. Fortunately, we have a non-biological Prime Minister who in the face of this visited the Church and offered prayers! It was an interesting phenomenon that inside the Church the Hindutva top leader is creating an optics of respecting Christianity while his followers are doing anti-Christian vandalism on the streets and Churches.

Citizens for Justice and Peace (Dec. 22, 2025) report very aptly summarises the tremendous rise in anti-Christian violence over the years “Between 2014 and 2024, documented incidents of violence against Christians rose from 139 to 834, an increase of over 500%. In 2025 alone (January–November), more than 700 incidents have already been recorded, affecting families, churches, schools, hospitals, and service institutions (based on United Christian Forum-UCF figures). Dalit Christians, Adivasi Christians, and women are among the most affected.” The US Commission on International Religious Freedom again recommended designating India as a Country of Particular Concern in its 2025 report, citing concerns over religious freedom. Human Rights Watch and other bodies documented issues affecting minorities.

Christmas eve violence is not new as a Bishop recently reminded his community, while cautioning the Churches in Raipur “In Raipur, however, the Catholic archbishop, Victor Henry Thakur, was very worried. He sent a letter to local churches, schools and other institutions urging caution, “In the light of the call for Chhattisgarh Bandh tomorrow, I feel and suggest that all our churches, presbyteries, convents and institutions should seek protection in writing from the local police. Please consider my suggestion because it seems to have been planned just before Christmas, as was the case at Kandhamal in Odisha.”

This reminds of violence around Christmas in Orissa in 2007 and 2008. The one which was orchestrated in 2008 took a massive proportion as nearly 70000 Christians had to flee and nearly 400 churches were vandalized.

In the face of this one could have expected the Church hierarchy to have expressed their concern about the attacks on Christians, but their silence on this serious matter shows either their lack of concern for their community or some other hidden vested interest in keeping mum on the issue.

One has also witnessed state after state adopting anti-conversion laws, titled ‘Freedom of Religion Acts’. This is putting rigorous conditions on the religious conduct of the community. Pastors and priests are arrested on pretext of conversion activity and face the legal rigmarole for years.

The propaganda that Christians are converting needs to be visited yet again. Christianity is an old religion in India having come here through St Thomas in AD 52 on Malabar Coast. The social perception that it came with British rule has no basis. From AD 52 to 2011, when the last census was held, the percentage of Christians rose to 2.3% as per the census figures. It is nobody’s case to deny that some conscious conversion work might have taken place. The census figures further just have a look at the figures of Christian population from 1971 to 2011. !971-2.60%, 1981-2.44%, 1991-2.34% and 2001-2.30%. That tells an interesting tale.

Pastor Graham Stains was also burnt alive with his two sons’ Timothy and Philip in a dastardly and baseless “revenge killing by the far right” on grounds t of indulging in conversion work. The otherwise flawed Wadhva Commission which went into this ghastly murder in its report points out that there was no statistical increase of Christians in Keonjhar where Pastor Stains was working for decades among leprosy patients.

There are many Christian missionary education institutes and hospitals, which are very much sought after. The conversions which have taken place are more among Adivasi and Dalits who have been thronging to the education and health facilities in remote areas. It is possible that major conversions might have taken place while seeking these facilities in remote areas where state facilities are sparse.

The hatred constructed around conversion is now very widespread. The attacks on recent Christmas celebrations is a horrific manifestation. The state authorities and political class –when such attacks happen and are reported — is either mute or even complicit. The compliant state machinery is the major cause of gradual intensification of the anti-Christian activity in diverse forms. This years’ attacks are a warning signal of the silence and double speak of the ruling dispensation. On the one hand leaders go to pray in a Church and on the other to let the vandals do their job. One hopes that international responses (repercussions) take the form of Government to Government expressed concerns, responding to appeals of religious freedom and the union government responding effectively to these appeals.

(This piece has been edited for publication—Editors)

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author’s personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sabrangindia.

Related:

Peaceful street protest in Mumbai condemns Christmas-time attacks on Christians across India

Conversions and anti-Christian violence in India

The post India 2025: Plight of the Christian minority appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Others from Hindutva right wing joined the chorus. In this twisted formulation of his, Modi is once again, by raising a non-issue and bringing it Centre stage is also attempting to defame Nehru, yet again. Defaming Nehru on every pretext has been the consistent goal of this far right-wing politics. India’s Prime Minister has been “blamed” for every failure of the Modi Government!

What are the facts?

Vande Mataram was written in the 1870s and remained unpublished. It was expanded to few more stanzas and made the part of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee-authored novel, Anand math. This novel of his was written based around the Sanyasi (Hindu ascetic) and Fakir (Muslim ascetic) rebellion. The fakir part of it was concealed in the telling the narrative, primarily shown up as a Sanyasi rebellion against a Muslim ruler! The novel does dream of mosques being replaced by temples and ends with the uprooting of the Muslim king and restoration of British rule.

Ironically, however Vande Mataram did become a political slogan against the British and became a war cry for the various rebellions and actions against British rule. In 1905 when the British divided Bengal on the basis of religion, the massive protests were led with this song and the song ‘Aamar Sonar Bangla Desh’. The song Vande Mataram went on to be very popular all over India and after the formation of State Assemblies it started being sung in these assemblies and some schools. Most of the Assemblies had Congress rule, while the Muslim League was ruling only in three states.

Jinnah in his avatar of the communal leader of the League objected to this song as being Hindu centric, with idolatry in it. Incidentally, opposition to idolatry is not only within Islam but also in the Arya Samaj sect of Hinduism. This objection of Jinnah came for discussion between Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhashchandra Bose through their letters. Nehru undertook to take the advice of Gurudev RabindraNath Tagore, who was a tall literary figure from Bengal. Gurudev opined that its first two paragraphs are acceptable to all as they are in praise of the mother land. The remaining four paras are in the imagery of Hinduism so they can be dropped.

Since the song had become very popular, there was a serious discussion within the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on the issue. CWC resolved, “These two stanzas (first, added) are in no sense objectionable even from the standpoint of those who have raised objections, and they contain the essence of the song. The Committee recommended that wherever the ‘Vande Mataram’ song is sung at national gatherings, only these two stanzas should be sung, and the version and music prepared by Rabindranath Tagore should be followed. The Committee trusted that this decision will remove all causes of complaint and will have the willing acceptance of all communities in the country.” Reported The Hindu.

The Constituent Assembly’s Anthem committee with Vallabh Bhai Patel, K.M.Munshi and others considered three songs for this. Sare Jahan se Achchha (Best in the Word) by Mohammad Iqbal, Vande Matram (BBC) and Jan Gan Man (Rabindranath Tagore). Sare Jahan se Accha was ruled out as Iqbal himself had become a strong supporter of Pakistan. The first two paras of Vande mataram were selected as the National song. Jan Gan Man was chosen as the national Anthem. Vande Mataram and Jan Gan Man both have equal status.

The issue was settled with a great amount of consensus. Why decades after the issue was settled is the issue being raised and such a large amount of time was allotted for discussion of this issue? We know that the country is writhing with pain of deprivations at various levels, poverty, unemployment, pollution, declining standards of public health and education. At this time to bring forth this issue may be having a deeper communal agenda. When Jinnah had raised the issue in the 1930s Nehru had stated in a forthright manner that the issue is being raised by communal elements. Same thing is happening now. The other stream of communal politics rampaging Indian ethos, values of Constitution and pluralism of the country is doing it now.

Incidentally the communal stream which is now asking for the full version to be brought in, had never sung this song through the long-drawn-out struggle for freedom against British rule. This song was sung primarily in Indian national Congress meetings. The slogan of Vande Mataram was raised by those fighting against the British. Since the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) had kept aloof from the freedom movement and helped the British in their efforts of continuing their ‘divide and rule’ policy, they had not sung this song or raised this slogan.

The Indian struggle against British rule was multi-religious, multilingual and multi-ethnic. In this women and men both took part to ensure that a united India emerges. Muslim League was asking for Pakistan in Muslim majority areas and Hindu Mahasabha and RSS were working for Hindu nation. The Constituent Assembly in a way represented the aspirations of emerging India. Vande Mataram, Jan Gan Man issue was settled by representatives of India, the founding fathers of a syncretic and inclusive Indian nationalism.

Those who remained aloof from the freedom movement do not either believe nor follow the norms of Indian Constitution. While today they are arguing for this song in full, in their shakhas they did not sing this song. They had their own, Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrabhume (Salute you affectionate Motherland). They stuck to their saffron flag; rejecting the tricolour, their faith in the Indian Constitution is for namesake only.

The implications of this song in its entirety will have a negative impact. Non-Hindus singing it in schools and public institutions will lead to dislike from many who already are full of fear of their identity being attacked and are being subjected to humiliation at various levels, due to the domination of identity issues.

Related:

Vande Mataram: How the recent discussions in Parliament around the national song initiated by the ruling regime stem from motives that are questionable

Activists singing Vande Matram called ‘anti-national’, attacked in Bihar!

Those Not Chanting Vande Matram have no Right to Live in India’: BJP MLA Surendra Singh

The post Identity issue to the fore: Vande Mataram controversy appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The freedom movement was led by leaders who had imbibed values with democratic potential and they led the movement against colonial rule. The likes of Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Subhash Chandra Bose articulated values with inherent rights for the nation. They took the lead with great cost to their personal life. One of the examples was the inspiration derived by Jyotirao Phule was from Thomas Penn’s book ‘Rights of Man’. Ambedkar was an ardent follower of John Dewey who was steeped in democratic values.

Recently Mr. Narendra Modi went on to criticise Lord Macaulay for this transition to the values of rights, when he emphasised the traditional knowledge system as a dog whistle to highlight the concept of duty over rights.

Interestingly Modi and his ilk (Hindu Mahasabha-HMS, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-RSS) and its communal counterpart, the Muslim League both expressed the values of ‘declining classes of landlords, Nawabs and Kings’. Modi’s Hindutva has harked back to an “ancient period” where ‘Dharma’ was the core, the Dhrama which followers of Hindutva claim to be very great and the core part of Hinduism. Dharma stands for religiously ordained duties, and this includes the rigidly exclusionary system of Caste! Hindu ideologues claim that there is no equivalent of Dharma in other religions. There is Shudra Dhrama, Stree Dharma, Kshatriya dharma and what have you. At core it is caste stratification and duties which dominated the scene.

The Muslim League emerged from the nawabs/landlords and their leaders eulogised the great rule of Muslim kings, starting from Mohammad bin Kasim who ruled for some time in Sind. Their model was based on feudal values, looking down on lower levels of society. Dominant sections were blessed with the ‘divine power’ trickling down to a few feudal lords etc. Pakistan saw an initial and welcome definition of secularism by Jinnah; however, in practice, it was feudal elements that were dominant around him. After Jinnah’s death they came out openly to impose their feudal-semi feudal values on Pakistani state and society.

Even as Hindu Nationalism (read supremacism) today appears dominant in India, what is being undermined in this onward march of Hindutva politics is the concept of ‘rights’ inherent in our national movement and embodied in the Indian Constitution. This is where the non-biological Narendra Modi begins the journey to achieve the goal of undermining rights and highlighting duties.

The call for the dumping of the education system introduced by Lord Macaulay was a subtle attempt in this direction. He put it more overtly (brazenly) on Constitution Day, November 26, 2025. Modi said, “In a recent letter to Indian citizens on Constitution Day (November 26, 2025), Prime Minister Narendra Modi heavily emphasised the importance of citizens fulfilling their Fundamental Duties. He argued that performing these duties is the foundation for a strong democracy and national progress towards his “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) vision for 2047. Modi urged citizens to place their “duties towards the nation foremost in our minds”. This aligns with his previous statements where he suggested that “rights are embedded in duties” and that “real rights are a result of the performance of duty”.

Besides, he also tweeted “On Constitution Day, I wrote a letter to my fellow citizens in which I’ve highlighted the greatness of our Constitution, the importance of Fundamental Duties in our lives…” Shravasti Dasgupta writes “While this is not the first time that Modi has laid emphasis on citizens duties, or interlinked them with rights to suggest that duties correspond to rights, the Constitution shows that such interlinking is incorrect. According to constitutional experts and political scientists, an invocation of duties, placing primacy on them above rights, is a subtle attempt to recast the Constitution, ensure compliance in a manner seen in authoritarian regimes, and signals a danger to democratic principles”

Modi went on to invoke Gandhi on this. “…and that “real rights are a result of the performance of duty,” Invoking Gandhi is totally off the mark as Prof Zoya Hasan (Prof. Emerita, JNU) says, “Gandhi often spoke of duties, but he never treated them as a substitute for rights; duties did not supersede rights. For him, duties were a moral path for individuals, while Fundamental Rights remained essential and must be protected by the state. Gandhi’s commitment to duties did not diminish rights in any way,”

Incidentally to emphasise the concept of rights, many of these were underlined during the UPA regime (2004-2014). This was through a series of enactments, long overdue. The first and major amongst these was “Right to Information Act 2005”, a mechanism to root democracy in a deeper way. This was followed by Right to Education Act 2009, Right to Food (National Food Security Act, 2013). With the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government losing power in 2014, it is the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)—dominated by the RSS-driven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Today, in 2025 it is the third term of the NDA, today a minority government supported from the outside. With this change in power at the centre in 2014, the constitutional, rights’-based approach to public policy has gone into cold storage and duties are being made the major part of our national policies.

Even our Constitution emphasises on rights in itself. In fact, Article 21 of our Constitution, that guarantees the ‘Right to Life’ incorporates within it, the right to health, the right to education for example. The UPA Government underlined –albeit belatedly — in an appropriate way.

Today Hindu Nationalism is totally suppressing rights, like freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of expression among others. Many of these are incorporated in the wider concept of Human rights as well.

What Mr. Modi is conveying in his November 26 s letter is authenticating the suppression of the concept of ‘rights’ for all and through this relegating religious minorities to second class status, derogating questioning and dissenting citizens, academics and activists to being “Urban Naxal”. Incidentally and not surprisingly, it is the Constitutions of authoritarian states that emphasise on “duties” at the cost of rights.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author’s personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sabrangindia.

Related:

Sectarian nationalism and god men: Sri Sri Ravishankar attends the 75th Birthday of the RSS chief

Emergency regime and the role of RSS

Understanding the growth of European-style nationalism in India

The post Hindu Nationalism’s sectarian nationalism and its concept of ‘duties and rights’ appeared first on SabrangIndia.