The Conversion of India into ‘Hindu Rashtra’

India is formally a secular state as stated by the Constitution which means that it holds all religion’s and their practices in equal regard without discriminating on any basis whatsoever. Having a look at the statistics, it can be seen that India has a composition of religion, which looks like the following- 79.8% of the population identifying themselves as Hindu, 14.2% following Islam and 6% following other beliefs. This is an estimate based on the 2011 census but one can get the picture.
The dominant religion in India is Hinduism. In taking account of everything that has been said so far, the idea of secularism still remains pretty much the same- equal treatment of all religions, even though Hinduism is in the majority. So how is this great country, edging closer to becoming a Hindu Rashtra without us even knowing?

We are all familiar with the 2002 Gujarat Riots. It’s one of the highlights of communal violence of the modern era, which claimed countless lives. Questions were raised about the involvement of Chief Minister Modi, which till this date remains controversial but somehow evident. Teesta Setalvad, the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace, petitioned in court for the trial of, now Prime Minister Modi, and several other whose names were never even mentioned in association with the case. A direct recruit of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Narendra Modi has never directly shown any signs of hatred or discord towards the muslim community. The RSS continues propagating the Hindu agenda, which makes sure that PM Modi never has to.

Since its inception, the RSS has been dedicated to the creation of a Hindu state and it remains the ideological parent of the BJP, to a point where the BJP has never won an election without the support of the RSS. The same organization was initially banned for its role in the Gandhi Assassination, though was later not found guilty. Question marks still remain. With Yogi Adityanath at the helm of Uttar Pradesh (the state with the highest seats in the Lok sabha), the propagation of the Hindu ideology couldn’t be more transparent. Openly known for saying barbaric statements against muslims, he can be credited for the Anti-Romeo squads which harassed young couples, friends and in one instance a brother and a sister. Just the other day I was meeting an American friend, and upon telling her such incidents I couldn’t help but feel humiliated by the senselessness that is at offer here. I am not one to cry westernization, but give me anything even remotely concrete to justify this. Equating Shah Rukh Khan to Hafiz Saeed is another one of many ideological dysfunctions possessed by the CM of Uttar Pradesh. Justice (retd.) Rajinder Sachar believes that the RSS is truly running a propaganda and will be able to declare India as a Hindu Rashtriya as early as 2019. Hate crimes against muslims are on the rise and he believes that the other political parties should come together to fight the BJP otherwise we could see something similar to the British Rule.

No matter how far-fetched things may sound or they may or may not become absolutely true, they are for a fact, happening. I personally do not believe in propagating any religion because throughout history, religion has been the reason for the most amount of conflict. I believe in the concept of being a global citizen, one that can overlook boundaries, trails and tribulations and strive towards creating a world, which does not require unnecessary confrontation in the name of an imaginary person we have never seen. The more we divide, the less we will progress. Progression requires a progressive mindset, which at the moment our political architects seem to lack in abundance.