The saffron wave continues to spread across India. Its next target is the Muslim-majority historical city of Hyderabad where municipal elections have been held. The BJP is spreading its hate-filled Hindutva ideology and is making inroads further south in the country.
Yogi Adityanath, the firebrand and extremist chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, who is known for his hateful and prejudiced speeches against Muslims, has vowed to rename the city as Bhagyanagar. The party earlier renamed Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagarj. The BJP now claims that the iconic Charminar monument in Hyderabad is built on a temple. A makeshift bamboo temple still stands nearby but just like the Babri mosque, the BJP is using it as a pretext to push forward its ideology.
The BJP has stated that it wants to end the ‘Nizami culture’ in Hyderabad, referring to the influential Muslim rulers who governed the area for centuries before partition. The Nizam’s family has hit out at the statement and called it a political gimmick. There are just a handful of Muslim politicians in India today. Asaduddin Owaisi, who heads the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM)is the most vocal critic who has challenged the BJP’s intrusion in Hyderabad.
Owaisi has dared the BJP to a contest in Hyderabad and has been personally targeted by the party. Some BJP leaders have branded him ‘modern Jinnah’ and others went to the extent of threatening a ‘surgical strike to wipe out Pakistanis and Rohingyas’. The elections had a low turnout which shows a disconnect with voters and also that many have shunned such rhetoric and want to see development.
The Indian government, rather than spreading its fascist politics, should be concerned with more pressing problems. Thousands of farmers are protesting outside New Delhi calling for the scrapping of controversial agriculture laws enacted by the BJP government and have rejected talks offer. Half of Indians are still employed in agriculture but continue to face high debts, crop failure, drought, and lower prices. This is the biggest protest in years and has now drawn international condemnation.
The Indian government cannot blame others for its mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic and ignoring peaceful protests by farmers. Despite all odds, it continues its hate-driven ideology even further in southern India and completely alter the secular nature of the country.
