India’s 200-million-plus Muslim minority is fraught with renewed apprehension as the Hindu-nationalist ruling party secures a third term, sparking concerns over their future in the constitutionally secular nation.
Many Indian Muslims fear Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will consign them to a status of “second-class citizens” in a Hindu-dominated state.
Instances of public targeting, abuse, and humiliation of Muslims over the past decade have intensified these anxieties, as voiced by 43-year-old housewife Shabnam Haque in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi.
Despite Modi’s celebration of victory, the opposition’s resilience, stronger than anticipated, and the BJP’s dependence on allies without an outright majority for the first time in ten years offer a glimmer of hope for some, emphasizing the significance of diverse political representation and a robust opposition, notes Salman Ahmad Siddiqui, a 42-year-old banker from Uttar Pradesh.
However, concerns persist, with social activist Rahman Saifi, 27, warning that the BJP, despite a reduced majority, may persist in driving its right-wing agenda, particularly towards establishing a Hindu-dominant nation, echoing anxieties expressed by shopkeeper Anwar Siddiqui from Uttarakhand and Muhammad Samshuddeen, 25, a shopkeeper in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, in Muslim-majority Kashmir, resentment simmers over the Modi government’s 2019 decision to impose direct rule from New Delhi, intensifying apprehensions of further hardships under the BJP’s third term, as articulated by 53-year-old Riyaz Ahmed from Srinagar.
