Nagaland students' body slams Mohan Bhagwat’s ‘Hindu rashtra’ remark, calls it unconstitutional and divisive

The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has issued a sharp condemnation of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent remark describing India as a “Hindu Rashtra” during an event in Lucknow, calling the statement unconstitutional and an assault on the country’s secular and democratic foundations. 

In a strongly worded statement, the NSF said that Bhagwat’s claim strikes at the core of India’s identity as a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic, where secularism is a binding constitutional mandate, not an optional principle open to reinterpretation.

The students’ body expressed deep concern that such comments, made from positions of influence, embolden majoritarian narratives and aggravate the sense of insecurity among minority communities. The NSF stated that the country has witnessed repeated instances of discrimination, targeted violence and systemic prejudice against religious and cultural minorities, including Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and tribal Indigenous communities. It cited episodes of mob violence, desecration of places of worship, coercive conversion allegations and profiling, noting that state responses have often been inadequate.

As Indigenous inhabitants of the Naga homeland, whose identity and customs predate the Indian state, the NSF said such remarks are particularly disturbing, warning that assertions of a singular “Hindu Rashtra” undermine constitutional equality and threaten the secular character of the Union. The organisation reiterated that Nagas have historically upheld their right to self-determination and to coexist with dignity within a pluralistic democratic framework.

Calling upon the Government of India to reaffirm its commitment to secularism as a guiding constitutional principle, the NSF urged the Centre to restrain public statements that seek to destabilise the nation’s constitutional fabric. It also appealed to democratic and secular forces across the country to unite against what it described as growing attempts to redefine India through majoritarian ideology. Reaffirming its commitment to universal rights, Indigenous identity and constitutional values, the NSF said any effort to weaken India’s secular character must be met with collective and resolute opposition.