Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi is seeking a third term. But Indian Muslims and Christians are deeply concerned about this: Modi's nationalist and pro-Hindu policies are undermining the rights and freedoms of religious minorities. Some believe the world's largest democracy is already headed in the wrong direction.
The world's most populous country began voting on April 19 in a seven-stage election in which about one billion people are entitled to vote, and the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on June 4.
Modi wants to rule for a third consecutive term, pitting his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party against a coalition of more than two dozen opposition parties. Research shows he will win with a comfortable majority.
Modi himself cast his vote this week in Gandhinagar constituency, where Home Minister Amit Shah, his second-in-command, is the BJP candidate. He urged citizens to actively participate in the 'Festival of Democracy' while taking care of themselves due to the currently extremely high temperatures in India. Dressed in a saffron yellow and white outfit, he was surrounded by hundreds of supporters and party members as he signed signatures and spoke to children on his way to the polling station.
At recent election rallies, Modi described Muslims as “infiltrators” and said they “have too many children,” referring to the Hindu nationalist claim that Muslims are having more children in order to outnumber Hindus in India. He also accused the rival Indian National Congress of plans to “plunder” the wealth of the country's Hindus and redistribute it to Muslims, who make up 14% of India's population of more than 1.4 billion.
