The fact that our people are able to protest against incidents and events which they don’t agree to and still live another day, is proof enough that India is a tolerant nation. We have tolerated all religions, cultures and traditions and still do. Not a single Hindu, Muslim or Christian have been chased out of this country because of their religion! I am an Indian, and I can very well say, no, India hasn’t become any more intolerant in recent times than it has ever been to any religion. We have catered to all religions and cultures and still continue to do the same, which is why we have had Christians as ruling party leaders and Muslims as presidents of our country, not to mention that so many other key positions held by people from all religions, sects and cultural groups. Let us not forget that the tolerance of this country is what made it great. We can stand proud with our heads held high and say that we belong to every religion, cast and creed! And that is not going to change any time soon. So let us strive to protect this status of our nation than bicker over who is right and who is wrong.

From Ms Vinayakrishnan Lakshmi

UAE Facts speak for themselves, cows get more respect than women in India and if you eat beef, you risk your life . So categorically, India is becoming hugely intolerant.

From Mr Kash A. Razzaq Chohan

UK

How can you judge a country’s approach? India is a country which believes in religious harmony. Even constitution of the country speaks about it. Please don’t mislead the world about the image of India.

From Mr Krishna Gopal Sharma

Lucknow, India

The world is not blind. Everybody can see what’s happening in India. We don’t live in the 18th century.

From Mr Ryan Sa

UAE

Yes, India is intolerant. Human life is nothing in India, it seems that what matters most is beef or the cow that Hindus worship. But these cows are often seen roaming in the street eating out of garbage bins.

From Mr Riamei Rohymlung

UAE

Indian people are very pompous when it comes to talking about their country. India of course is an intolerant country on the lines of race, caste, culture, region and religion. The way indian society behaves towards dalits, to the people residing in north-eastern regions of the country, religious minorities, the poor adivasis (tribes) and Kashmir muslims is terrible. There have been rising number of caste attrocities with Hindutva in power. India is on the way to becoming a Hindu fundamentalist country with a secular democratic constitution kept for namesake. India has an alarming poverty rate, worse than that of the whole of Africa, and you think India can be peaceful and tolerant?

From Mr Vineeth Soman

UAE

I don’t think it’s about a large percentage of Indian population but, yes, we have to agree that some leaders are behaving inhumanely in their comments which leads to discrimination in the minds of secular Indians. Media plays a vital role in mediating events between the public and government. It is the duty of media to provide reliable and truthful information. It can create intolerance in the minds of people belonging to different religions towards others. People are blaming an entire nation of being intolerant, while we should realise the fact that majority of the population in India, the largest democracy, still opposes such religious discriminations and will step forward to ensure the secular entity of our nation. Such issues are created intentionally merely for political gain. People must unite and eradicate such worms out of our soil.

From Mr Mohammad Ashref

Dubai

Yes, India is becoming intolerant, but a few points I have to make here. What are we projecting to the world about what India is? There may be difference of opinon but the fact remains that we love our country more than anything else. It’s not about India, Bharatiya Janata Party is not India, Modi is not India, they have been elected for a specific tenure and that is it. We all know that it’s all planned by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, they are trying to demolish the Indian constitution. But they cannot do it!

From Mr Zakir Khan

Sharjah

India is not intolerant. You can’t forecast anything by just reading paper and watching news channel. This is media hype. Please stop doing this and don’t mislead about the image of my country.

From Mr Shravan Varma

UAE

Did you ask the same question to an Indian living in India? Come and see here in India, in reality we Hindus, Muslims, Christians or people of other religious beliefs do not have any problems. Every day we work together and eat together.

From Mr Raghu KR

India

Indian people are nice and we can’t blame or impose or declare a whole country as intolerant because of a few people and their activities.

From Mr Fahad Liaqat

UAE

Yes, since Modi government came into power, it’s been getting harder day by day for Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities to stay safe in India. On the other hand no respect at all for women.

From Mr Taj Afridi

UAE

Five years of prison for eating beef, three years prison for rape. Even cows are safer than girls in our country. Modi government has made fun of our country, as the world is cracking jokes on us.

From Mr Arif Rathod

Qatar

Be heards

India was never an intolerant nation and neither will it ever become. It is the present Indian government that is trying to make it intolerant or at least portraying it to be. Indian people have rejected Bharatiya Janata Party’s hate politics by making sure they faced huge defeat at the hands of a grand alliance of secular parties in recent Bihar elections. This shows that people have been intolerant in the country, but those who spread this culture of intolerance will not be spared and will be ousted of power. In a nation that calls itself secular, the government cannot force one community’s eating habits onto the rest of the citizens. It is illegal to do so. It takes away from people’s basic rights. Moreover, if beef is banned in so many states, then why is the same treatment not given to pork in states where there is a considerable Muslim population?

The number of bans that the present Indian government has imposed, in the recent past, questions the true meaning of democracy that is our country’s very identity. If people have the right to choose their leaders, who gives these leaders the right to impose on others what to eat, what to watch, where to go, whom to love, and so on. The government should function on the foundations laid down by the founding fathers of the country. The constitution only promotes peace and tolerance. What was important for the ruling party was to promote India economically and look into the development of those people living under poverty line, or the condition of women and the need for better education and sanitation. There is an endless list of problems to be dealt with in our country where they are paying attention to banning things for religious purposes.

From Ms Shweta Priyadarshini

Advocate based in Delhi, India

India is not intolerant

Being an Indian, it is a matter of shame that my nation is said to be intolerant. According to me, India has never been intolerant, and will never be. Our government strongly believes that it functions on behalf of the people, by the people and for the people. How can anyone say we are intolerant? I feel that it is not the government being intolerant; it is just a few fringe groups within the nation who are being intolerant.

Talking about the bans, the Hindu community actually requested a ban on slaughtering ‘cows’. But the media, in order to increase their rating has picturized it as ‘beef ban’. It was just the media’s game. But what these people don’t realize is that they are portraying a bad name for the nation. Logically, how can anyone say that the world’s largest democracy is intolerant? The current uprising of ‘intolerance’ is just a political power play. Since the BJP has come to power after a long time, and is flourishing tremendously, the opposition does not want to lose their power to BJP the next time. So, they are making up baseless allegations for the same purpose. India is a country where people have a lot more freedom and security than any other country. This excess of freedom is what is leading to this turmoil. People have become narrow minded. They forget about the value of ‘live and let live’. If everyone broadens their perspective, then they will realize how tolerant India is.

From Ms. Parvathi Sreeraj
Student based in Dubai