INDIA is gearing up for Lok Sabha election-2024 somewhere in June 2024. These elections will be decisive for India in three ways: a) Indian masses will have to decide whether to continue with a Hindu nationalist Government under BJP and RSS, b) whether minorities in India should continue to be exploited as done since 2014, most significantly c) should India present itself as a security threat for all neighbours. The policies of BJP have brought India to a state which is a dangerous place for all minorities within India which has threatened the security of all South Asian and Southeastern states. Under BJP India has a hostile attitude with all neighbours and even with its people having identity other than BJP or RSS. For elections 2024, a 28-party bloc, named Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance has decided to give a tough competition to BJP. Through seat adjustment formula, is hopeful to win the election 2024. In a statement, this bloc announced; “We, the India parties, hereby resolve to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections together as far as possible. “Seat-sharing arrangements in different states will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest in a collaborative spirit of give-and-take.”
The last nine years was a trying time for Indians under BJP which exploited almost all communities including Dalits a low cost Hindu community. “The communal poison that the BJP and RSS have spread over the last nine years is now seen in hate crimes against innocent train passengers and against innocent school children.” Indeed, BJP is quite vulnerable in almost all parts of India with lot of flaws in their governance system in the last one decade. Despite being upbeat for electoral success in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, BJP has some seemingly insurmountable anxiety. Recent humiliating electoral defeat (May 2023) in Karnataka has brought realization in the ranks and files of BJP that upcoming state elections are likely to prove tough for the BJP (Mizoram, Chatisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana). Being ardent believer in populist vote BJP intends to bolster its domestic politics by indulging in activities to win it cheap popularity. Saner elements of society dislike the communal division of society BJP stands for. Intellectuals/critics have been decrying BJP’s communal politics.
Gujarat pogrom (2002), Delhi riots (2020), recent communal unrest in parts of Haryana and ongoing civil unrest in Manipur where minority Christian population is on the chopping block were/are orchestrated by BJP. BJP believes in Pakistan bashing and measures to victimize Muslim population in India. Its hatred sometimes goes beyond hate. BJP has a history of launching false-flag operations to malign Pakistan in an effort to make Sangh Parivar happy on the other hand to woo the voters for BJP. Revelations by Satya Pal Malik, ex-Governor, IIOJK, in an interview with Karan Thapar in The Wire abundantly made it clear that Modi allowed Pulwama incident (Feb 2019) to happen where more than 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a suicide attack. Ex-Governor revealed that Modi has no concern with whatever happened in Pulwama and he (Modi) did not allow him to raise some pertinent questions the way attack happened suggesting that Modi was privy to impending attack. Hence Modi’s involvement is vivid. Such an eventuality will certainly spoil peace in the region with wider repercussions – between two nuclear neighbours. Indian elections for LokSabha are generally contested on the basis of enmity with Pakistan. In Indian elections, the political party which propagates maximum against Pakistan, Pakistani institutions, Pakistani defence forces and, above all, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) stand victorious.
Under the leadership of Modi, BJP is gearing up its activities for the forthcoming 2024-elections. At this critical time, the chief strategist of BJP Mr Amit Shah is deliberately fanning feelings of communalism in the Indian states having Muslim voters, whereas in other states, Dalit and other lower/scheduled caste people are instigated to create an exploitable poll atmosphere to garner maximum Hindu voters. Among Hindus even, the low class Dalit were discriminated against alongside the minorities. These Dalits are indeed, “Untouchables” 200 million in India face all sort of violence, discrimination and humiliation at the hands of upper class Hindus. They are tainted by their birth into a caste system that deems them impure, less than human. Besides, Sikhs forming approximately 1.9% of the Indian total population are being discriminated against and relegated in all spheres of life in Hindu-dominated India. Christians too are discriminated against and humiliated in India. They are also facing the fanatic onslaught of the RSS for conversion into Hinduism.
Through a massive campaign against Muslims, the major minority group in India, forming over 17% of total population, Indian Muslim are discriminated, humiliated and forced to convert into Hinduism or else leave India. The New York Times in its Opinion Page of August 17, 2017 wrote an article, entitled, “India’s Muslims and the Price of Partition”. The prestigious newspaper mentioned salient features of Indian policies towards Indian Muslims. As per the contents of this article, the Modi’s India demands Muslims, “They should reconvert to Hinduism” this is a unanimous call from the Hindus, the BJP and its militant wing, the RSS in particular. Hindu considers that the Indian Muslims were converted from Hinduism during Muslims rule in India; therefore, they have to reconvert to Hinduism.
As per Pew Research Centre analysis, out of 198 countries, India ranked as fourth worst in the world for religious intolerance. It is to be mentioned, “Pew analysed cases that involved hate crimes, mob violence, communal violence, religion-related terror, the use of force to prevent religious practice, the harassment of women for not conforming to religious dress codes and violence over conversion or proselytizing.” Amnesty International in its annual report has accused India of promoting and supporting a climate of intolerance by cracking down dissent through arbitrary arrests, caste-based discrimination, extrajudicial killings and attacks on freedom of expression.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
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