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‘I was told I’d be killed if I didn’t leave’: Himalayan state is a testing ground for Modi’s nationalism

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Himalayan State,Modi,Nationalism

A region known as ‘God’s land’ offers a glimpse of the future if Indian prime minister’s BJP party retains its power or centuries it has been known as the “land of the gods”. Stretching high up into the Himalayas, the Indian state of Uttarakhand is home to tens of thousands of Hindu temples and some of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites.over the past decade, the government is accused of weaponising Uttarakhand’s sacred status for politics, making the state a “laboratory” for some of the most extreme rightwing policies and rhetoric targeting the Muslim minority.starts on 19 April, stretching across a six-week period, Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are expected to return to power. Over the past decade, as India has grown to become the world’s fifth-largest economy, Modi’s government stands accused by rights groups of growing authoritarianism and pursuing Hindutva policies that have eroded the rights and freedoms of minorities, in particular India’s 200 million Muslims.The BJP is expected to march on with its Hindutva agenda if re-elected. While Modi has denied allegations that it will rewrite the secular constitution to enshrine India as a Hindu-first country, political observers have pointed to Uttarakhand as a stark window on what a Modi third term could mean for India’s fragile secular democracy

‘I was told I’d be killed if I didn’t leave’: Himalayan state is a testing ground for Modi ’s nationalism

India’s sacred river, the Ganges, takes shape in Uttarakhand, and flows through the state in many tributaries. It is visited every year by tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims who climb up to four of their holiest temples – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri – to seek salvation. On government signs in the state, visitors are often welcomed to “God’s land”.

The establishment and protection of Uttarakhand as a Hindu-only state has also played a role in the election campaign, where it was directly mentioned by the BJP chief minister in a rally speech. The BJP is expected to win most, if not all, the parliamentary seats in Uttarakhand, which is almost 85% Hindu.

Among the dead was Mohammad Zahid, who had gone out to buy milk for his baby grandson when he was shot in the chest by police, and his 18-year-old son, Mohammed Anas. Pervez Qureshi, 38, claimed his younger brother, Faheem, was not killed by police but shot by a local Hindu man, allegedly abetted by police, who that night set fire to their house. Qureshi said he had five eyewitnesses to the shooting, but it was being covered up by police.

Himalayan State Modi Nationalism BJP Uttarakhand Rightwing Policies Muslim Minority Hindutva Secular Democracy

 

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