D -1 before the start of the general elections in India. In Modi’s stronghold, in the heart of the state of Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, minorities are fighting to obtain a few seats to be represented in Parliament.
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With our special correspondent in Benares, Clea Broadhurst
This is one of the subjects of this electoral campaign: the place of minorities in India. The ten years of the Modi government pushed Atahar Jamal Lari, Muslim representative of the Bahujan Samaj Party, whose electorate is mainly made up of Dalits and lower castes, to run.
“ Unemployment and corruption are at their peak, which is what pushed me to want to fight against this dictatorial regime. The voice of the poor, farmers, students, minorities and Muslims must be defended, because over the past ten years, communitarianism and sectarianism have increased. They want to divide Hindus and Muslims. Politics is done through polarization. »
Opinion shared by Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, the priest of the Hindu temple Sankat Mochan. According to him, politics and religion should never be mixed: “ There are so many religions, so many communities… They all do good for the nation. We must therefore address everyone’s problems and suffering. Everyone enjoys our Constitution and the nature of this country should remain secular because we have so many communities and religions that have lived together for centuries. »
The main fear raised in the debates is precisely a possible change to the Constitution which could lead to India no longer being a secular country.
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