Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar on Tuesday said that secularism and communism in India would only survive as long as Hindus remain in the majority. His remarks came while speaking at an event organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), shortly after the Centre extended the validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for another 10 years.
“Secularism and communism will remain in India only as long as Hindus are in the majority. Otherwise, they will not survive. Because Hindus are the only community that believes in inclusivity,” Majumdar said.
The BJP leader thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for implementing the CAA and said that, for the first time, the concerns of Dalit refugees who migrated from East Bengal had been addressed. “For decades, no one thought about the Dalit refugees who crossed over from East Bengal. It is for the first time that Narendra Modi has considered their plight,” he said.
Majumdar invoked Partition history and recalled Jogendra Nath Mandal, Pakistan’s first law minister, who was forced to flee to India with his family despite holding a high office. He said Dalits who trusted Mandal’s call to remain in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) faced relentless persecution, which forced generations to migrate to India.
“These refugees have been coming to India since 1947. Women, in particular, have been subjected to continuous persecution. For years, no one spoke for them. For the first time, Narendra Modi thought about their future and ensured the passage of the CAA,” Majumdar said.
He also welcomed recent changes to the Foreigners Act, citing a fresh home ministry notification. “If a Hindu, anywhere in the world, faces persecution or is prevented from practising his or her faith, that person can seek refuge in India,” he said.
Majumdar framed the CAA as part of a moral responsibility towards persecuted minorities, claiming that other political parties either remained silent on atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh or used the issue for political gain.
The Centre recently extended the deadline for applying for citizenship under the CAA until 2024. The law enables non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who fled religious persecution, to seek Indian citizenship. Members of these minority communities, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who entered India before December 31, 2024, will be allowed to stay without passports or travel documents, the home ministry said.
