Hindus for Human Rights Responds to Indian Election Results
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hindus for Human Rights Responds to Indian Election Results
June 5th, 2024
Contact:
David Kalal (david@hindusforhumanrights.org) and Faria Rehman (faria@hindusforhumanrights.org)
As an international faith-based organization dedicated to promoting human rights, social justice, and pluralism, HfHR calls on the incoming Indian government to prioritize policies that protect civil liberties, promote economic equality, and ensure the inclusion of marginalized communities. We also echo calls from Indian civil society to ensure full transparency of Indian electoral results, regardless of the final outcome of the election. Indian voters deserve to know how their votes were counted.
As the newly-elected Indian government takes shape, HfHR emphasizes the critical importance of upholding democratic values, safeguarding human rights, and fostering a society where all individuals can thrive regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds.
While HfHR does not take a partisan stand in Indian politics, the INDIA Alliance’s strong showing, despite the government’s attack on political opposition, reinforces Indian voters’ commitment to democracy and pluralism, setting a global example of inclusive governance. The BJP’s losses, particularly in Ayodhya, the site of the Ram Mandir, send a clear message that Narendra Modi and the BJP’s large displays of exclusionary Hindutva ideology and ethno-nationalist rhetoric are not popular amongst the Indian citizenry.
The opposition, independent media, and civil society's ability to overcome legal and financial attacks, voter intimidation, and media suppression signals that the will of the Indian voter cannot be silenced. The values of socialism and secularism India was founded upon hold immense tangible value in today’s politics. Indian democracy is still under attack, and in the coming days, weeks, and months, Indians will have to fight hard to undo the damage of decades of democratic backsliding.
HfHR Executive Director Sunita Viswanath says,
“I woke up to wonderful news from my beloved India, which has given a strong message to Hindutva: You don’t represent us. Our work in Hindus for Human Rights now begins. We can’t be complacent. We must work at the grassroots level to help the Hindu community introspect about why we allowed ourselves to be seduced by hate. We need to return to the path of loving community and secular democracy.”
Global Perspectives
HfHR representatives from around the world echo the importance of this election as a pivotal moment for India.
“India's election is a bell-weather in the fight for global democracy. We saw voters overcome massive hurdles, including attempts to stop them from voting or interacting with a free press, to make their voices heard. For those of us in the diaspora, we can only be proud of the Indian people's rejection of Islamophobia, casteism, and corruption and support Indians' fight to preserve the Indian Republic. And it's a reminder for all of us to fight hard for democracy, at home and abroad.”
-Ria Chakrabarty, Senior Policy Director, HfHR USA
“In the last 10 years of the NDA government, all four pillars of democracy have been subverted and compromised. We have witnessed the suppression of dissent, jailing of political rivals, activists and media, the expelling of parliamentarians on feeble grounds, the subversion of the judiciary and the election commission, and the tearing apart of the secular fabric of the country. To rebuild the foundations of a thriving democracy and an empowered civil society will take a mammoth collective effort from all stakeholders who believe in the constitution and the idea of a democratic, secular, pluralistic India.”
-Nandini Sen Mehra, HfHR Australia
“We need to work on [rebuilding secularism]. Start the discussion, heal the wounds. We can’t just go back to what it was. We need to actively build bridges and apologize, and invest in Muslims and minorities, so they rise from the backward areas they have been thrust into. Educate the young, because the privileged do not understand how privileged they are, and how underprivileged minorities are.”
-Lakshmi Ramachandran, HfHR Sweden
“We see massive inequality, whether that is the staggering gap between richest and poorest, between high caste and low caste, between men and women, and between North and South… I seriously question the ethics behind the thinking that government complicity in, or ignorance of, communal violence is a worthwhile price to pay for the positive trend [in economic growth]. I expect the leader of India to choose life and freedom over money; to promote a united, peaceful India and protect minorities rather than use her or his status as a majoritarian leader to maintain a reliable electoral majority.”
-Rajiv Sinha, HfHR United Kingdom
For more information, or interview inquiries with our staff globally, please contact:
David Kalal (david@hindusforhumanrights.org) and Faria Rehman (faria@hindusforhumanrights.org)
End of Press Release