Finally, there is a visible communal polarization happening across the country. Unlike in the 1980s and 1990s, it is not being inspired by Hindutva ideological forces. Instead, the pressure is coming from an upsurge of fringe Muslim groups, which in a bid to unseat the moderate elements are playing a radical Islam card. Recent events relating to Akbaruddin Owaisi and fringe groups in Tamil Nadu bear this out. Overt attempts by political parties such as the Samajwadi Party and the Congress to pacify these groups through policy interventions has only further reinforced the polarization; once again, these interventions have created, at least in the minds of some Hindu voters, the feeling that they are being persecuted. Modi’s visible Hindutva credentials only make him the perfect candidate to tap such sentiment.
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