A win by the Bharatiya Janata Party is more than a mere political success. For many critics, it is indicative of the increasing influence of a type of politics that is a threat to India’s secular identity, social stability, and the autonomy of women. India is a nation comprising multiple faiths, languages, castes, and traditions. The magic of Indian democracy is the ability to live harmoniously amidst differences. However, when a political party relies on constantly stirring religious majoritarian sentiments to rise to political power, minorities feel threatened, and the bodies and decisions of women end up becoming the battlegrounds for political power plays.
BJP is known to be a Hindutva party, and under BJP’s governance, various human rights groups have reported concerns of discrimination against religious minorities such as Muslims and Christians. According to a report from Human Rights Watch, Indian authorities have engaged in discriminatory practices and failed to punish members of the ruling government for acts of violence, instead at times harassing the victim themselves. Similarly, according to Freedom House, during BJP’s rule in India, there has been an increase in the harassment of journalists, human rights organisations, and religious minorities.
The threat becomes even more pronounced once hate speech becomes normalized. Reuters has reported that hate speech against minority groups increased by 13% in India in 2025 based on records compiled by India Hate Lab. Whether the BJP chooses to accept or reject these figures, the fact remains that regular abuse targeted at minorities is bound to create fear and distrust among people, turning neighbours into enemies, and undermining religious harmony, which can become very delicate at that point.
This type of politics is also harmful to women. While religious nationalism may claim to “protect” women, it can also be used to control them. For instance, the so-called “love jihad” discourse casts Muslim men as a potential threat to Hindu women, portraying grown adult women as unable to take charge of their sexual and marital affairs. Research on India’s anti-conversion legislation suggests that these laws undermine the autonomy of women by dictating how they relate to other individuals and to religion.
An open society cannot claim freedom if it restricts who a woman can love, marry, and trust. The act of treating inter-faith relationships as potential crimes means that women are no longer full citizens but are reduced to symbols of honor for their communities. Such patriarchy is a dangerous idea because it denies the autonomy of a woman’s body, which does not belong to her alone but to her religion, caste, family, or nation.
Another reason for worry about the Citizenship Amendment Act is its emphasis on religion within the debate on citizenship because it granted citizenship through a fast track to non-Muslim refugees from chosen neighboring countries but not Muslims. Secularism is seen as eroding in a country susceptible to communal conflict because it further fuels the perception that citizenship too becomes religious.
In conclusion, a BJP victory is concerning, not because any political party deserves to be barred from participating in a democracy, but because the majority can manipulate the power of democracy into tyranny. A majority is entitled to rule but not to oppress the minority, intimidate opponents, or regulate women’s lives. Democracy is supposed to protect the weak against the majority, not give the majority license to crush the minority.
India requires politics that focuses on employment, education, health, safety of women, science, and citizenship of equal status. India certainly does not require politics which sustains itself by instilling fear about Muslims, Christians, inter-religious marriages, social activists, and rebellious women. A country prospers only when there is mutual trust among its citizens, not when they become suspicious of each other.
The problem with a BJP win is that it could help entrench a rather chilling view of the nation – single religion dominating, minorities sidelined, and women culturally subjugated. This is not the vision of an India which has been set out in the country’s constitution. The future course of action in this direction needs to be sharply criticised and effectively opposed.
