(Web Desk) - PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman on Saturday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his failure to stop attacks of Hindu extremist groups on religious minorities, especially Christians and Muslims.
According to Indian media, just days before December 25, groups wielding wooden sticks damaged Christmas decorations at a shopping mall in central India, while right-wing activists disrupted school events and set fire to holiday merchandise in the northeast. The incidents were reported in Chhattisgarh, Assam, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh in the run-up to the festival.
"What stops Prime Minister Modi from condemning the actions of Hindu radicals who attack Christians — as we all do in Pakistan — from clearly stating that such violence is unacceptable in a civilised country?" the senator asked.
"I think we know the answer, he is okay with impunity."
Senator Sherry underlined that leadership is ultimately tested by its willingness to confront extremism within its own support base. Silence, she noted, risks signalling tolerance for impunity and normalising hate-driven violence.
Her remarks echo a report by The Wall Street Journal, which has highlighted a marked increase in violence against religious minorities in India since Prime Minister Modi assumed office in 2014.
The article notes that groups affiliated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been linked to attacks on Muslims and Christians, as well as to systemic discrimination in employment, education, housing, and civic participation.
It further noted that India's Muslim community - approximately 14 per cent of the population - has borne the brunt of the most severe attacks, facing widespread social exclusion and ghettoisation.
Christians, who make up only about 2.3 per cent of the population and mostly come from economically disadvantaged communities, have also faced increasing targeting.