Daily Times

Modi is not backing away from his intentions, which he has demonstrated over time. Once again, his hostility against Muslims is turning India’s dream of secularism into a shambling tale.

As he is engaged with implementing his cult of hatred, which is Hindutva, true colours of the Indian society are becoming visible. Modi and the BJP are persistent in the “un-holy” mission of Hindu-fying India. He is determined in revamping Indian constitution into his ideology. After stripping Kashmiris off their basic rights, he has now axed the constitution once again in the form of Citizen Amendment Bill.

The BJP government has easily passed Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB) in Lok Sabha, due to a large majority. It will not only deepen the Hindu-Muslim divide but also make Indian Muslims third-grade citizens. The bill will legally grant citizenship to people of all religions, except Muslims from countries bordering India i.e. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Moreover, experts say it will give Modi and his vendetta of Hindutwa the right to persecute and deport Muslim living in India, who might be unable to prove their Indian citizenship.

When Afghanistan does not share any physical geographical boundaries with India, why is Afghanistan included? Indian Home Minister Amit Shah replied in Lok Sabha that it only happened if you believed that 109-km stretch of Kashmir was a part of Pakistan. It indicates where Modi and his minions will head. Moreover, an interesting fact is that the bill only included Muslim countries.

BJP’s hatred towards Muslims has become a cliché now, which is verbally and politically depicted many times by sitting politicians. Back in 2015, in Assam, a similar incident took place where the state demanded proof of citizenship from almost 33 million people back in 1971. In August 2019, almost 1.9 million people, mostly Muslims, were not in the state’s final citizen list. Times magazine reported the government was now constructing 10 prison camps to incarcerate those who fail the appeal process.

Modi is on his un-holy skirmish against Muslims living either inside or outside India. Congress, as well as other parties, have opposed this bill; calling it an attempt to murder the Indian secular dream. Shashi Tharoor, a representative of Indian Congress and a member of Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, remarked that the Citizen Amendment Bill was “an assault on foundations of Indian democracy.”

Without doubt, it has become obvious that the BJP is making “The Great Indian Dream” oblivion and Modi will not stop at this. His actions are just the beginning of India entering into the realms of Darkness. The next step would be legalising violence and persecution of Muslims in India. The BJP will make India a purely Hindu State, which would, no doubt, be at the end of Modi’s current term. Muslims of India will bear the same excruciating conditions braved by the Muslims of Indian Occupied Kashmir by the end of 2023.

BJP’s hatred towards Muslims has become a cliché now

Mr Modi has become an insignia of hatred in the Indian society of whom not only minorities but moderate Hindus are frightened as well. The Great Secular Indian Dream, which was envisaged by Nehru and Gandhi, is coming to an end without being fully fulfilled. Modi has not only decimated the social fabric also the economy of India. Once considered as a big market, it has now been on its slowest GDP growth since 2013, the year Mr Modi was elected for the first time. In such a twist of events, the BJP has committed a legislative genocide against Muslims. What is more worrying is the fact that the Indian society has elected Modi and the BJP once again through democratic elections, which certainly depict the taste of Indians. If the BJP continues with its hate crimes against Muslims, there remains no doubt that there will come a time when a communal uprising will certainly lead to violence.

It is evident from the experiences that even if Mr Modi and his flock openly persecute Muslims, the international community will sow its lips because of the prime reason being the subjects are “merely” Muslims. It is high time for the Muslim community to get along with the international community, or the plight of Muslims will continue.

The writer is a research associate at the Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution