World Bulletin / News Desk

The Indian election victory of Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi has left India's 160 million Muslims wondering what the future holds for them as he assumes office as the new Prime Minister.

Muslims in India are already beginning to react anxiously following the victory of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Zahir Qazi, president of Anjuman-I-Islam, an NGO working for Muslims in Mumbai city, told OnIslam.net, “We know his past record, but we hope that he will not do the same with minorities after taking charge as Prime Minister.”

“We hope that he would do justice with the community and not discriminate in any way with them,” he added.

Modi, who was thechief minister of Gujarat during the massacre of 2,000 Muslims in the region in 2002, has already been accused of being behind Hindu nationalist uprisings against Muslim communities in Assam and Andhra Pradesh, leaving dozens dead earlier this month.

The clashes in Assam were sparked by Modi's comments during a speech in which he referred to the Muslims in the region of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh - the same type of talk that has stirred Buddhists against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. His words have gained him the support of many Hindu groups including the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS).

Said Maulvi Shams, an imam in Uttar Pradesh, also told OnIslam.net, “(Modi) supported the killings in Assam. He has already heightened religious tension all over India. He is someone who is here with his personal agenda. There is a difference between his words and actions.”

Having already vowed to sideline minority influence in India, Modi has made many fear that a number of right given to non-Hindus could be taken away, including the scholarship given to minority students by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.

'HINDU AWAKENING'

The Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) has called for a Hindu awakening after Modi's election. “We can all see it now, that it is happening — that the awakening is happening,” said Praveen Rai, a commander for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Varanasi, told the New York Times on Sunday, May 11.

“What we believe is that we are the most advanced race in the entire world. We will convert the whole world into the Aryan race: So we have decided. We believe that Indian culture has been the best civilization in the world,” he added.

The RSS was founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, who had split from the Indian National Congress party because of what he called the “undue pampering of the Muslims.“ The group was then banned three times in 1948 and 1970s and 1990 for their extremist activities.

They have also made clear in the past their intention to build a Hindu temple on the spot which once hosted the 16th century Babri mosque, which was destroyed by Hindu mobs in 1992.

Pramod Kumar, an RSS propagandist in Varanasi, praised Modi's campaign in a bid to revive the country’s religion, integrity and culture, which “was on the back foot; and that we are going to set it straight.”

“Ever since I was born, I have been waiting for good things to happen in this country. Most definitely, that moment is here,” he boasted.

Regarding the building of a Hindu temple over the ruings of the Babri mosque, Kumar added“The temple must be built...It will happen after the election.”

However, Modi's BJP denied that the RSS would have a place in the new government. BJP's Arun Jaitley said: “People who do have a lot of ideological affinity to us have been extremely active and helpful in this campaign, not so much as organizations but as individuals.”

“As far as governance is concerned, we have been in power as a political party, and I can assure you we take our own decisions,” he said.