MARINIJ: California Voice – Indian Americans have a role to play in educating state about Hindu nationalism

By Ishaq Syed

In March, the overseas wing of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, organized car rallies and prayer gatherings throughout California in support of his reelection bid. These groups surely celebrated Modi’s third electoral victory earlier this month.

However, not all Desis in California are elated. For many of us, Modi’s anti-Muslim campaign speeches and slew of authoritarian policies cast the victory in a different light. As an Indian Muslim, the BJP’s loss of a majority in the Indian parliament is the real ray of hope in these last elections.

Reports of the Indian government attempting two assassinations on North American soil this year — and hearing of how other U.S. critics have had their India-based relatives detained and persecuted — myself and many other Indian Americans fear speaking out against Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism.

But with the opposition in India increasingly mobilized and capable of resisting Modi’s rule, there is a sense of obligation to do our part in California, home to the largest Indian population in the country. India and California are joined at the hip through political, economic, cultural and familial ties, which means these elections impact local life and vice versa.

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