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Abstract

The victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 and 2019 elections with Narendra Modi as prime minister of India is a crucial momentum for the revival of Hindu nationalism in India. Allegations of the politicisation of religion were growing under Modi's leadership with various controversial policies, one of which was the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) that was passed in 2019. This policy accelerates the granting of citizenship status to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christians, immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. This paper discusses how the BJP's politicisation of religious identity impacts policy outcomes within the context of the CAA. We argue that the BJP's alignment with the Sangh Parivar and the utilisation of religious identity as a political tool has led to the prioritisation of Hindu interests in policies, disproportionately affecting minority communities, particularly Muslims. The study highlights how the BJP strategically used the CAA, triggering counter-mobilisation from the Muslim community, which, coupled with the government's response, intensified communal tensions. The BJP's success in leveraging its popularity to advance its agenda, including implementing the CAA, exacerbated perceived threats among Hindu voters and fueled political mobilisation. The paper emphasises that in a democratic context like India, political parties aligning with religious identities can secure support and provoke conflicts.

Bahasa Abstract

Kemenangan Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pada tahun 2014 dan 2019 dengan Narendra Modi sebagai Perdana Menteri India merupakan momentum krusial bagi kebangkitan nasionalisme Hindu di India. Dugaan politisasi agama terus menguat di era kepemimpinan Modi dengan berbagai kebijakan kontroversial, salah satunya adalah kebijakan Amandemen UU Kewarganegaraan yang disahkan pada 2019. Kebijakan ini mempercepat pemberian status kewarganegaraan bagi imigran dengan agama: Hindu, Sikh, Buddha, Jain, Parsi, dan Kristen, yang berasal dari Afghanistan, Bangladesh, dan Pakistan. Tulisan ini membahas bagaimana politisasi identitas agama yang dilakukan BJP berdampak pada hasil kebijakan dalam konteks CAA. Keterkaitan BJP dengan Sangh Parivar dan pemanfaatan identitas religius sebagai alat politik telah menyebabkan diprioritaskannya kepentingan Hindu dalam kebijakan, yang secara tidak proporsional berdampak pada komunitas minoritas, khususnya Muslim. Studi ini menyoroti bagaimana BJP secara strategis menggunakan CAA, sehingga memicu mobilisasi balik dari komunitas Muslim, yang, ditambah dengan tanggapan pemerintah, meningkatkan ketegangan komunal. Keberhasilan BJP dalam memanfaatkan popularitasnya untuk memajukan agendanya, termasuk penerapan CAA, memperburuk persepsi ancaman di kalangan pemilih Hindu dan memicu mobilisasi politik. Tulisan ini menekankan bahwa dalam konteks demokrasi seperti India, partai politik yang memiliki identitas agama dapat memperoleh dukungan namun juga memicu konflik.

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