By: Karan Published in: *The Wire* Date: February 7, 2026 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZoOqWxF4Nk
"The well-known and highly regarded historian, author and political commentator, Ramachandra Guha, believes that India is becoming a Hindu Pakistan and that the treatment of Muslims is a form of 'medieval barbarism'. He says: “'in 2026 is as close to being a Hindu Pakistan as it has ever been … in politics and in the law, in symbol and in substance, in word and in deed, India is … becoming ever more like Pakistan, except that here it is Hindus, and not Muslims, who rule over fellow citizens who are of other faiths.' Ramachandra Guha says for the BJP 'Muslims are not equal citizens, they are second class subjects, who live and labour on the whim and fancy of their Hindu overlords.' He says today when Muslims are humiliated and beaten there’s not only no shame but 'there’s exultation, there’s a sense of triumphalism, there’s a kind of vicarious and gory celebration of such acts by Hindutva forces. Which is why it’s a form of modern contemporary barbarism.' This is a particularly powerful, bold and blunt interview which I would suggest you should watch to understand the sort of country we’re increasingly in danger of becoming. Ramachandra Guha says that whilst Nehru 'strove to keep religion out of politics … the Hindu Right was given the opportunity to grow and expand through the errors of the post-Nehru Congress.' He believes that Rajiv Gandhi was 'particularly culpable'. Referring to the Shah Bano case and the opening of the locks of the Ayodhya shrine, when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, Ramachandra Guha says: 'Once his government made religion the basis of statecraft, it was inevitable, given the asymmetry in their populations, that Hindu extremists would benefit far more than Muslim extremists.' I will stop there. There’s a lot you will learn from this interview. In many ways it will shake you up. In some cases it could even infuriate you, depending on your political beliefs and affiliations. But in all cases it’s essential viewing. I strongly recommend you see it."
