Muslims in India under BJP rule are raising concerns over rights and representation since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to national power in 2014 and representation of Muslims. India’s largest religious minority has grown, and both domestic and international critics argue that the BJP‘s majoritarian policies and rhetoric have contributed to a sense of fear and exclusion among many Indian Muslims. While the people who support the government maintain that the administration focuses on the development, growth, and unity of all citizens, irrespective of the religion they follow. However, various practices of legislation and decisions under BJP rule have resulted in protest and legal challenges from Muslim communities and civil rights groups.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019,hich fast-tracked citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries, was widely criticized for excluding Muslims. The act led to nationwide protests and a prolonged sit-in by Muslim women in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh in the same period. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam caused fear among Muslims, with many worrying about the risk of statelessness. Thousands, mostly from poor Muslim families and communities, were left out by the register and forced to prove their citizenship in tribunals. Observers, including rights. Organizations like Eminence, International, and Human Rights Watch have documented a rise in hate crimes, lynching, and communal violence while targeting Muslims since the BJP came to power.
Accusations of cow slaughter, illegal in many Indian states, have led to more lynchings of Muslim men; many of these cases have seen delayed justice or no conviction. Furthermore, more social media and political speeches have seen an uptake in anti-Muslim rhetoric. Critics say this emboldened group and deep societal division in recent state election campaigns with inflammatory language referring to love jihad, a term used by some eligible Muslims to lure Hindu women into marriage for conversion, and illegal infiltrators have further fueled mistrust despite forming 14% of the population. Muslim representation in the BJP government remains minimal. In the 2019 general election, the BJP did not field a single Muslim candidate in several states, including Uttar Pradesh, which has the highest Muslim population in India. Analyses argue that lack of representation, affairs, policy, and decisions contribute to a feeling of political exclusion. Democracy requires inclusion of all communities.
Muslims today feel politically orphaned, said political analysis professor Faizan Mirza Jawaharlal Nehru. BJP, the government has repeatedly denied any discriminatory intent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized his motto of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas (together with all, development forl). The party points to welfare schemes like PM Awas housing and Ujjwala Yojna for cooking gas that have benefited Muslims along with other citizens. However, critics argue that welfare programs do not address the specific fear of communal targeting and legal insecurity that many must experience in India. The secular and democratic framework promises equality for all its citizens, but whether this promise is being applied for Muslims and the BJP rule remains the subject of intense national debate. With the 2024 general election behind them, the BJP is in power, and the question remains: Can India’s largest minority? Find reassurance and inclusion in the years to come?
