“The BJP manifesto declaring India as ‘a natural home for persecuted Hindus’, has triggered an animated debate on the nature of the state a Narendra Modi-led government would create if elected to power. BJP supporters term it as an obvious step, but critics point out that this puts a Hindu country tag on India and goes against the principle of secularism.
Modi had floated this idea at a rally in Assam in February, making a distinction, Hindu refugees from Bangladesh and arguing that the former should be accommodated.
“We have a responsibility towards Hindus who are harassed and suffer in other countries. India is the only place for them… we will have to accommodate them here,” Modi had said. He also claimed that the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee had devised measures to accommodate Hindu refugees from Pakistan.
BJP supporters reject the criticism. Pro-Modi activist Madhu Kishwar tweeted: “If Hindus are being persecuted in Pakistan’s Sindh or in Bangladesh on account of being Hindu, where will they go if not come to India? They have nowhere to go but persecuted Muslims from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan can and do go to many countries.”