India Under Modi and the Question of Human Rights

Nov 9

India has thousands of years of history and a complicated political past, but it has begun to rise to the top of the global stage. In his third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has led a key Hindu nationalist movement that has impacted the country in many ways. His goal was to redefine India socially and economically. Economically, India under Modi has become a success: “Modi also sought to expand financial inclusion by creating bank accounts for economically disconnected Indians, loosen the country’s labor laws, and promote foreign investment in several industries” (Ganguly and Mistree). His focus on economic development and growth was seen through his implementation of the new taxation structure: “This new taxation system has both bolstered economic growth and filled the Indian government’s coffers. With these resources, Modi and the BJP have been able to finance an aggressive good governance agenda, with huge investments in infrastructure and a robust expansion of public services” (Ganguly and Mistree). This has allowed for further economic growth within the nation. Its economic development has increased to such an extent that, “ By the end of the 2020s, India is likely to overtake Japan to become the second-largest economy in Asia and the third-largest in the world” (Mohan, 2025). Much of this economic transformation and development can be seen from the first-hand perspective in southern cities like Kochi, where evidence of foreign investment from Western companies has been present. Other evidence appears in their past advertisements for the G20 conference, which India held in 2023. The tension between both Pakistan and China has not led to many developments under PM Modi: “ [His]... attempts to improve ties with India’s two nettlesome neighbors failed to yield any breakthroughs. In fact, relations steadily deteriorated during his first decade in office”(Ganguly and Mistree, 2025, pg. 151). Relations between the United States and India have grown stronger through the development of more weapons deals from the US (Ganguly and Mistree). India’s political and economic development has transformed the nation over the past few decades as it has emerged as a global powerhouse.

Modi’s Hindu nationalist perspective has been highlighted by this commentary, “Religion—and Hinduism specifically—has always been central to Indian politics, but Modi has supported and encouraged a more assertive brand of Hinduism than his predecessors did” (Ganguly and Mistree). Internally, the BJP has made a statement in the last few years against the Muslim minority within the country, first with the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, which allowed for fast-track citizenship for non-muslims into India. Second, the 2020 ruling, which allowed for the building of a Hindu temple on a previously destroyed mosque (Tannenwald).

India’s key challenges regarding its main human rights violations continue to include the ongoing societal abuse within its long-standing ‘caste system’ and the unequal treatment of the Dalits. Looking into the Indian caste system, which has been culturally entrenched in society for hundreds of years, has been the reason for the overwhelming, unethical treatment of the lower class. Also known as the “Untouchables,” this social class was meant to be the workers who did work considered unclean, and it consists of around 16% of the nation’s population (Bob 2010). In the article “Dalit Rights are Human Rights,” by Clifford Bob, mentions the most common discrimination of these people as, “ … Dalits are excluded from village wells, temples, and tea shops; forced to subordinate themselves before upper-caste neighbors; discriminated against in land and housing allocation; and prevented from participating in local government institutions” (Bob 2010). Many grassroots activists and NGOs have worked for decades to bring this issue to the Indian government’s attention, but with limited success. Only during India’s periodic review under the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination were these violations noted. The Indian government initially claimed that the Dalits were a social class and not a racial one, and the CERD did not apply to them. Human Rights Watch and other activist bodies lobbied for ‘untouchability’ to be a crime against humanity, and for an addition to the CERD as discrimination against ‘work and decent.’ (Bob 2010). This issue was brought to the international stage and acknowledged by the Indian government, but unfortunately, little has changed for this population. While banning caste discrimination in national law, the violence and social harm persist as a common, embedded cultural occurrence (Tannenwald). From my experiences traveling in India, this invisible social class came to mind as I witnessed large economic disparities across society. The unfortunate case of this marginalized population is due to the continual cultural practices within Indian society that perpetuate this discrimination.