Naga Students’ Federation opposes RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s ‘Hindu Rashtra’ comment

DIMAPUR — Calling it a direct assault on India’s constitutional ethos, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has denounced RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent proclamation in Lucknow that India is a “Hindu Rashtra.”

In a press statement issued on Thursday, the NSF maintained that Bhagwat’s assertion “strikes at the very foundation” of India’s secular, pluralistic and democratic character, which the Constitution defines as non-negotiable.

Secularism, it stated, is not a matter of interpretation but a binding mandate ensuring equal rights and protection for all citizens irrespective of religion, belief or culture.

The federation said it was “deeply disturbed” that divisive statements continue to emerge from influential positions, emboldening majoritarian narratives at the cost of India’s minorities.

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It cited a growing pattern of discrimination, targeted violence, profiling, desecration of places of worship and coercive conversion claims affecting Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and tribal Indigenous groups, often compounded by inadequate state response.

As Indigenous peoples whose identity and customs predate the formation of the Indian state, the Nagas find such majoritarian assertions “deeply concerning,” the NSF stated.

It argued that the idea of a singular “Hindu Rashtra” undermines the constitutional promise of equality and threatens the dignity and democratic space of minority communities.

Calling on the government of India to “reaffirm its commitment to secularism,” the NSF urged authorities to restrain statements that destabilise the constitutional framework.

It also appealed to democratic and secular forces across the country to stand united against attempts to redefine India through majoritarian ideology.