DIMAPUR, Nov 27: The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has strongly condemned RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent statement in Lucknow declaring India a “Hindu Rashtra,” calling it a direct attack on the nation’s secular and democratic foundations.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the student body said Bhagwat’s remark “strikes at the very foundation” of India’s Constitution, which upholds secularism as a non-negotiable principle guaranteeing equal rights and protection to all citizens. The NSF described the comment as divisive and harmful, arguing that it fuels majoritarian narratives at the expense of minorities.
The federation expressed concern over what it described as an increasing pattern of discrimination, targeted violence, profiling, desecration of places of worship and coercive conversion allegations affecting Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Indigenous tribal communities. Such trends, it said, are often made worse by insufficient state response.
For the Naga people, whose identity and customs predate the Indian state, majoritarian assertions like the “Hindu Rashtra” narrative are “deeply concerning” and undermine the constitutional promise of equality, the NSF noted.
The organisation urged the Government of India to reaffirm its commitment to secularism and ensure that public statements do not destabilise constitutional values. It also called on democratic and secular groups across the country to stand together against attempts to reshape India along majoritarian ideological lines.
