Blog | March 2020, Berkley Forum
Citizen Amendment Act is Confirmation of India as a Hindu Nation-State
by Irfan Ahmad
To the question – What does the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) mean for the future of Indian democracy? – my response is that it legally solidifies the project of making India a Hindu nation-state (rashrta). Let me explain.
The CAA actualizes an exclusivist, ethnic, Hindu nationalism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—a paramilitary organization at the core of which is the goal of Hindutva, establishing the supremacy of Hindus, with minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, relegated to second-class status. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of both RSS and Bharatiya Janat Party (BJP), the political wing of the former.
