The debate on the exact definition of minorities is yet to be settled, as the concept of what constitutes a ‘minority’ is absent in the Indian Constitution. The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) set up by the Union Government under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, recognised five communities as minorities: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis. In 2014, Jains too were included in the list of minorities, taking the number to six.
Now, there is a demand to include the Hindus of seven states — Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh — and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep — within the umbrella of minorities. A petition was filed to this extent in the Supreme Court by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay in 2017.
This year, the SC has asked the NCM to decide upon the plea, seeking guidelines for defining the term ‘minority’ and for their state-wise identification.
Are Hindus Really The Minority In The Mentioned States?
Yes, Hindus are a minority in the above mentioned states — except in Manipur where Hinduism is still the largest, although only 0.10 percent more than Christianity. The Hindu population comprises 41.39 percent while Christians comprise 41.29 percent in Manipur. In Christian-dominated Mizoram, the Hindu population is marginal — even less than Buddhism — accounting for only 2.75 percent of the population. The Hindu population in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Lakshadweep and Arunachal Pradesh is 11.52 percent, 8.75 percent, 28.43 percent, 38.49 percent, 2.77 percent and 29.04 percent respectively.
Are These Demands For The Sake Of ‘Equality’?
A section of civil society is skeptical about the demand — how can Hindus, who are form the national majority accounting for 79.8 percent of the population, qualify as ‘minority’ in some states? They are calling this a gimmick by right-wing groups who appear to be trying to polarise and also spread fear among Hindus or persecution in their own land.
While we must acknowledge that the Hindus comprise the national majority, how can one ignore the fact that they are indeed a minority in some states?
I think the demand will only strengthen the country’s social fabric which often faces threats from both radical right-wing and left-wing groups. This demand, if accepted, will also negate the fear-mongering views of radical Hindu groups that Hindus are being neglected in the name of ‘secularism’ by the Indian system. However, why blame only the radical Hindu Right? The radical Left too is equally responsible for spreading fear in the name of ‘intellectualism’ among the minorities — ignoring the fact that the population of minorities have witnessed growth in the country over the past decades. Although radical Hindu groups blame ‘conversions’ by Christian groups for the decline of the Hindu population in the Northeast, in most cases, it seems that it is due to migration.
The Northeast & The ‘Conversion’ Theory
Like in Manipur, where the plains are dominated by the Meitei people who are mostly Hindus with a small section of them practising Sanamahism and Christianity, the hills are dominated by Kukis and Nagas, who are Christians. In the state, valley-based Meitei groups have been demanding Inner Line Permit to protect their state from foreigners.
However, it is only in Arunachal Pradesh that the ‘conversion’ theory has appeared to be applicable. Second, in 1971, the Christians were only less than 1 percent, but in the 2011 census, the population of Christians amounted to 30.2 percent — becoming the largest group in the state with 1 percent more than the Hindus. Local groups who fall in the ‘Other Religion’ category have also often voiced their concerns of threats, as they believe that the growth of Christianity has been at the expense of the local indigenous faiths.
As a result, the local groups have always been against the repealing of the anti-conversion law in the state.
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