This is a sincere appeal from many among India’s majority Hindu community, including me as a seasoned journalist who had seen and experienced the political evolution for the past four decades, not as adversaries, but as fellow citizens, as neighbours, and as people who share this ancient and diverse land. We write not to accuse or provoke, but to ask for introspection, for healing, and for a future built on mutual trust, rather than political manipulation or inherited mistrust.
We understand that India is your home. Your forefathers made the conscious choice to stay back after the partition, choosing India over the newly formed Pakistan. No one questions that right — it is a part of our shared history. But with that choice came a shared responsibility — to help build a truly pluralistic and inclusive India, not merely to be its beneficiaries.
For decades, successive governments, particularly the Congress party, projected themselves as champions of secularism. However, in practice, this often translated into a lopsided version of secularism — one that seemed to favor political appeasement over true equality. Many in the Hindu majority began to feel sidelined in their own land, as policies were framed not on principles of justice or upliftment, but on vote-bank compulsions.
Our problem is not with the Muslim community, but with the politics that used your name, that of the “Muslim vote” — to consolidate power, while keeping both our communities emotionally apart. It is also unfortunate that some leaders within the Muslim community, often self-appointed and rarely accountable, have perpetuated this divide by feeding fears, twisting constitutional narratives, and obstructing much-needed reforms.
Take, for example, the recent discussions around the Waqf properties or the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Despite loud protests and fear-mongering, not a single Indian Muslim lost their citizenship. Yet, the fear spread so effectively that it drowned out the truth. Similarly, the intention behind reforms to Waqf administration is not to “seize” lands, but to ensure transparency and justice in how those lands benefit the community — especially the poorest among you.
We plead with you to ask: Who truly benefits when fear takes the place of facts? When mosques or graveyards are misrepresented as being under siege, while poor Muslims still struggle for quality education, employment, and dignity? Surely, it is not the common man in Old Delhi, Bhopal, or Hyderabad. It is the politician or the cleric who thrives on division.
There is another uncomfortable truth that must be acknowledged — that the demographic rise of the Muslim population (from 4% at the time of independence to around 15% today) is seen by some Hindus with anxiety. This is not about numbers alone, but about the fear of cultural imbalance, of perceived refusal to integrate. We know many of you live peacefully, work hard, and love this land just as much as any Hindu does. But when even a fringe of the community supports calls for Sharia over civil law, or fails to condemn open support for pan-Islamist ideologies, it creates distrust that stains the rest.
That said, our appeal is not one of blame, but of hope. We ask you to look at how other minority communities — Parsis, Jains, even Christians and Sikhs — have contributed immensely to India’s development, without needing to wear their faith on their sleeves or challenging the cultural identity of the majority. From Homi Bhabha to the Tatas, from service in the armed forces to leadership in science, business, and philanthropy, these communities integrated without losing their identity.
Our Sikh brothers, despite tragic moments in history, have remained at the heart of Indian patriotism. The Jain community, though tiny, has helped build India’s economy and philanthropy. These communities have earned respect not because they demanded it, but because they quietly built it. Can we not hope the same from our Muslim brothers and sisters?
We also acknowledge and welcome the signs of change. The abolition of Triple Talaq gave dignity back to thousands of Muslim women. The voices of Pasmanda Muslims are finally gaining space. Educated, young Muslim Indians are increasingly speaking up for reform and coexistence. This is a welcome trend — and we urge more of it.
It is time to see each other not as “voters” but as vatasalya — fellow citizens of a motherland that has nurtured all faiths. The days of the Congress party and its brand of politics are clearly behind us. The political wind now favors an India that seeks equality, not appeasement. In such a future, only those who rise above division will thrive.
Let us not forget: this land has space for everyone, but it has little patience left for those who misuse its generosity. Hindus, who form 80% of this country, are awakening politically and culturally. That awakening is not about hatred — it is about asserting a long-suppressed voice. But it must not come at the cost of isolating communities. The choice lies with us all — whether to walk together or apart.
To our Muslim brothers and sisters, we ask you to rise with us, not against us. To question not your fellow Indians, but the leaders who exploit you. To see India not as a land to be claimed, but as a shared inheritance.
Let us live as Indians, first and always.
