Nagaland students' body condemns RSS chief’s ‘Hindu Rashtra’ comment

Dimapur: The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) on Thursday condemned the public statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat proclaiming India as a “Hindu Rashtra” during an event in Lucknow recently.

“Such remarks are not only unconstitutional but strike at the very foundation of the Indians’ secular, pluralistic and democratic ethos,” the federation said in a release.

Stating that India’s secular character is not an optional principle open for reinterpretation, the NSF said it is a binding constitutional mandate that guarantees equal rights, dignity and protection to all citizens irrespective of religion, belief or cultural identity.

It said the narrative of a singular “Hindu Rashtra” dangerously undermines the constitutional promise of equality and violates the secular character of the Republic.

The federation said it was deeply disturbed that such divisive statements continue to be issued from positions of influence, emboldening majoritarian narratives at the cost of minority communities.

“Across the country, we have witnessed a pattern of discrimination, targeted violence and institutionalised prejudice against religious and cultural minorities, including Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and tribal indigenous groups,” it stated.

According to the federation, from the desecration of places of worship, mob violence, coercive conversion claims, to systemic profiling, the minority communities have increasingly borne the brunt of intolerance, often with inadequate state response.

“As indigenous peoples of the Naga homeland, whose identity, faith and customs predate the political formation of India, we find such majoritarian assertions deeply concerning,” it said.

The NSF urged the Government of India to reaffirm its commitment to preserving secularism as the supreme guiding principle of the Republic and to take necessary steps to restrain statements that destabilise the constitutional fabric.