Some Indian Muslim Politicians making problematic statements and/or engaging in activities going against secularism and the rule of law

Dharam Sikarwar, “Rape Hindu women because they are roaming naked everywhere,” says Muslim leader, THE YOUTH (Dec 26, 2020), https://www.theyouth.in/2020/12/26/rape-hindu-women-because-they-are-roaming-naked-everywhere-says-muslim-leader/;

Raju S. Meerut, Ready to pay Rs 51cr reward to Charlie Hebdo attackers: Yakoob Qureshi, HINDUSTAN TIMES (Jan 8, 2015), https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/ready-to-pay-rs-51cr-reward-to-charlie-hebdo-attackers-yakoob-qureshi/story-ctvBDvGhmeXkLLihJllCKJ.html;

 

Abu Azmi convicted for hate speech, THE HINDU (Jul 11, 2016), https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/abu-azmi-convicted-for-hate-speech/article3371547.ece;

 

Karmanye Thadani, The SP and Its Pandering to Muslim Communalism in UP, GLOBAL YOUTH (Aug 17, 2025), https://globalyouthindia.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-sp-and-its-pandering-to-muslim.html;

15 crore Muslims can dominate 100 crore Hindus, rants MIM rabble-rouser Waris Pathan, INDIA EXPRESS (Feb 21, 2020), https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/Feb/20/15-crore-muslims-can-dominate-100-crore-hindus-rants-mim-rabble-rouser-waris-pathan-2106151.html;

Samajwadi MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq defends Taliban, says they want to run their own country, ECONOMIC TIMES (Aug 17, 2021), https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/samajwadi-mp-shafiqur-rahman-barq-defends-taliban-says-they-want-to-run-their-own-country/articleshow/85401485.cms;

CNN-NEWS18, AIUDF Chief Badaruddin Ajmal's Shocking Tirade, Mocks Hindu Marriage Age (YouTube, Dec 2, 2022), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ2Ar_JdJuI;

Ronit Singh, 'Muslims Showing Patience...': Jharkhand Minister Warns Of 'Violence' Amid Waqf Protests, BJP Reacts, NEWS18 (Apr 18, 2025), https://www.news18.com/india/muslims-showing-patience-jharkhand-minister-warns-of-violence-amid-waqf-protests-bjp-reacts-9304182.html;

 

Satyajeet Kumar & Samarth Srivastav, Jharkhand minister says Shariat first, then Constitution, makes U-turn after row, INDIA TODAY (Apr 14, 2025), https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/india/story/jharkhand-minister-hafizul-hasan-shariat-constitution-row-u-turn-jmm-conclave-ranchi-2708798-2025-04-14;

 

Religious protests against period film Gadar put free speech on the boil, INDIA TODAY (Oct 18, 2012), https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/controversy/story/20010709-religious-protests-against-period-film-gadar-put-free-speech-on-the-boil-773738-2001-07-08.

[1] Alison Snale, As Germany Welcomes Migrants, Sexual Attacks in Cologne Point to a New Reality, NEW YORK TIMES  (Jan 14, 2016), https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/world/europe/as-germany-welcomes-migrantssexual-attacks-in-cologne-point-to-a-new-reality.html;

Julie Bindel, The UK’s grooming gangs and the lessons never learned, AL JAZEERA (Feb 23, 2024), https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/2/23/the-uks-grooming-gangs-and-the-lessons-never-learned;

Andy Giddings, Grooming gang investigator 'fed up' of political rows, BBC (Jan 19, 2025), https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4mmpml73yo.amp;

Alix Culberton, Grooming gangs scandal timeline: What happened, what inquiries there were and how Starmer was involved, SKY NEWS (Jun 15, 2025), https://news.sky.com/story/grooming-gangs-scandal-timeline-what-happened-what-inquiries-there-were-and-how-starmer-was-involved-after-elon-musks-accusations-13285021

Some Examples of Extremism by Some Indian Muslims

 

John F. Burns, Toll From Bombing in India Rises to 50 Dead and 200 Hurt,  NEW YORK TIMES. (Feb. 16, 1998), https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/16/world/toll-from-bombing-in-india-rises-to-50-dead-and-200-hurt.htm;

Delhi chief minister condemns murder of Hindu man, BBC (Feb 6, 2018), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-42a941522; Ranjai Singh & Simir Chawla;

ISIS-inspired men who killed retired principal in Kanpur get death sentence, INDIA TODAY (Sep 15, 2023), https://www.indiatoday.in/law/story/court-grants-death-penalty-to-2-isis-linked-men-in-kanpur-up-infosys-employee-among-witnesses-2435828-2023-09-15;

Rajesh Saha & Suryagni Roy,  Bengal anti-Waqf protests: 3 killed, 150 arrested; BJP claims Hindus fleeing homes, INDIA TODAY (Apr 13, 2025), https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bengal-waqf-violence-central-forces-deployed-after-court-order-2708222-2025-04-13;

Randeep Ramesh, Indian Mujahideen claims responsibility for Jaipur blasts, GUARDIAN (May 15, 2008, at 10:54 BST),  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/may/15/india;

What is behind the religious violence in India's West Bengal?, BBC (Jul 11, 2017), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40553993;

Esha Roy, The burning: Malda’s fault lines run deep, THE INDIAN EXPRESS (Jan 7, 2016), https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/big-picture-the-burning-malda-violence-hindu-leader-kamlesh-tiwari-islam-kaliachak/;

Sree Kumar, West Bengal: 200 homes torched, shops ransacked in riots, ONE INDIA NEWS (Feb 21, 2013), https://web.archive.org/web/20130510212927/http://news.oneindia.in/2013/02/21/west-bengal-homes-torched-shops-ransacked-in-riots-1155624.html;

Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay, Riot-scarred Deganga says Trinamool MP main villain, INDIAN EXPRESS (Sep 14, 2010), https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/riotscarred-deganga-says-trinamool-mp-main villain/;

Piyush Srivastav, 15-year-old boy dies in Rampur communal clashes, INDIA TODAY (Jul 31, 2015), https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/15-year-old-boy-dies-in-rampur-communal-clashes-285618-2015-07-30;

Rashmi Rajpoot, Maharashtra constable stabbed to ‘avenge beef ban’, hunt on for maulana, INDIAN EXPRESS (Oct. 21, 2015), https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/maharashtra-constable-stabbed-to-avenge-beef-ban-hunt-on-for-maulana/;

Sandeep Rai, Muslim woman weds Hindu man, both killed, THE TIMES OF INDIA (Nov. 29, 2014), https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/Muslim-woman-weds-Hindu-man-both-killed/articleshow/45321279.cms;

Sudeep Lavania, UP woman stripped off hijab, Hindu man accompanying her thrashed in Muzaffarnagar, THE TIMES OF INDIA (Apr. 15, 2025), https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/up-woman-stripped-off-hijab-man-beaten-in-ups-muzaffarnagar-6-arrested/articleshow/120277564.cms;

3 arrested in Meerut for ‘beating man, molesting hijab-clad women who accompanied him’; raids on to nab others, THE INDIAN EXPRESS (May 16, 2023), https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/meerut-arrested-beating-molesting-hijab-clad-women-raids-8612207/;

Hijab-clad woman, Hindu friend shoved & schooled by mob in Indore; ‘Don’t Down Islam’, HINDUSTAN TIMES (May 27, 2023, 03:48 pm IST), https://www.hindustantimes.com/videos/news/hijabclad-woman-hindu-friend-shoved-schooled-by-mob-in-indore-dont-down-islam-watch-101685182604674.html;  

Hindu youth eating snacks with Muslim woman beaten in Karnataka, TIMES NOW NEWS (May 26, 2023), https://www.timesnownews.com/crime/hindu-youth-eating-snacks-with-muslim-woman-beaten-in-karnataka-article-100514449;

Sahil Sinha, 5 held after mob attacks Hindu man for dropping Muslim classmate home in Karnataka’s Shivamogga, INDIA TODAY (May 30, 2023, 19:02 IST), https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/men-held-karnataka-shivamogga-attacking-hindu-man-drop-muslim-woman-home-2386497-2023-05-30;

2 men held after Hindu man assaulted for dining with Muslim woman in Karnataka, THE INDIAN EXPRESS (May 26, 2023, 21:27 IST), https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/karnataka-hindu-man-assaulted-muslim-woman-8631095/;

Gujarat: Man killed over love affair in Rajkot, THE TIMES OF INDIA (May 12, 2022, 18:43 IST), https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/gujarat-man-killed-over-love-affair-in-rajkot/articleshow/91520632.cms;

Sreenivas Janyala, Hyderabad killing over interfaith marriage: He sold chain to take wife Eid shopping, THE INDIAN EXPRESS (May 7, 2022, 11:52 IST), https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/hyderabad/hyderabad-killing-over-interfaith-marriage-he-sold-chain-to-take-wife-eid-shopping-7904958/;

Cops: Groups harassing interfaith couples operate across the state, THE TIMES OF INDIA (Sept. 1, 2023, 09:07 IST), https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/cops-groups-harassing-interfaith-couples-operate-across-the-state/articleshow/103265496.cms.

The Indian Government Supports Palestine Even Under Modi (Just See These Links)

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-calls-for-ceasefire-in-gaza-says-intermittent-pauses-not-enough/article69849347.ece 

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/palestine-thanks-india-for-2-5-million-financial-aid-to-its-un-agency-7056555



https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-took-a-policy-stand-not-to-supply-arms-shells-to-israel-defence-sources/article68661059.ece

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/indias-generous-gesture-will-help-continue-lifesaving-services-towards-palestine-refugees-unrwa/articleshow/106381477.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/7/7/brics-condemns-attacks-on-iran-gaza-war-trump-tariffs-key-takeaways



https://www.mea.gov.in/lok-sabha.htm?dtl/37546/QUESTION+NO48+INDIAN+STAND+ON+PALESTINE



https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/s-jaishankar-india-israel-hamas-war-gaza-palestine-2-state-solution-2503617-2024-02-18



https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/india-votes-in-favor-of-unga-resolution-on-palestine-calling-for-an-end-to-israeli-occupation/article68945379.ece



https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-pushing-for-2-state-solution-for-decades-now-more-countries-seeing-it-as-urgent-jaishankar-on-gaza-9167105/



https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/current-situation-in-gaza-indias-foremost-concern-says-s-jaishankar-6527120



https://www.firstpost.com/world/pm-modi-meets-palestinian-prez-abbas-expresses-deep-concerns-over-gaza-crisis-reaffirms-indias-support-13818082.html



https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/situation-in-west-asia-matter-of-deep-concern-jaishankar/article68863834.ece


https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-narendra-modi-speaks-benjamin-netanyahu-israel-india-hamas-war-palestine-2477981-2023-12-19



https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/loss-of-lives-in-rafah-heartbreaking-says-mea/article68232968.ece

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-votes-for-un-resolution-on-immediate-gaza-ceasefire/amp_articleshow/116268061.cms

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-supports-immediate-ceasefire-in-west-asia-favours-two-state-solution-eam-jaishankar/article68909840.ece

Are Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah Anti-India/Anti-Hindu?

Notwithstanding baseless conspiracy theories, Farooq Abdullah has been steadfast in his conviction that the Kashmir valley must indeed remain a part of secular, democratic India (I do believe, like many others, including several Kashmiri Muslim friends of mine, that the Kashmiri separatist project is morally and legally invalid, as discussed here and here), a stand he reiterated recently while unequivocally condemning terrorist attacks on Hindus and Sikhs (and no, he was not in power in January 1990 when the very tragic exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits picked up steam), expressing his commitment to the secular and democratic ethos of the Indian constitution, onslaughts on which are being resisted by very many Indians across regional and religious affiliations. And with the Afghan Taliban regaining control over Kabul, while he did say he wished for the Taliban to deliver good governance without injustice to women and religious minorities in Afghanistan (which was misrepresented by some to suggest support for the Taliban on his part), he minced no words in talking about the threat he felt the ISI-backed Afghan Taliban could pose to Indian democracy in Kashmir.

 

He has publicly shamed the (now no more) Islamist separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the militaristic, theocratic Pakistani state, and was vehemently opposed to the release of terrorist Masood Azhar in the wake of the IC 814 hijacking, him never shying away from condemning terrorism even directed at BJP members. Hundreds of members of his party have been killed by separatist terrorists, attempts having been made on his life too. He is certainly not perfect or above criticism, but nor is the BJP, which has not been above fraudulent election practices (see this and this), financial corruption or pandering to extremists, even separatist-sympathisers, for votes. After making much noise over the delay in hanging Afzal Guru, the BJP commuted the death sentence of Khalistani terrorist Balwant Singh Rajoana, and even felicitated Mizo separatist rebels, who had taken Chinese support, in the presence of Chinese officials, while letting down Bru Hindus displaced by Mizo Christian extremists! Not only that, they have given blanket amnesty to Bodo separatist insurgents under PM Modi, and earlier even under PM Vajpayee, including to those with a record of killing unarmed civilians.


And contrary to false propaganda on WhatsApp claiming that Farooq Abdullah passed the Roshni Act in the name of electric connections to usurp property of Kashmiri Pandits, the Roshni Act was not for electricity connections but the government selling state-owned property to private persons, using the sale proceeds for building dams to generate electricity! It had no religious angle and applied to Jammu as well for selling state-owned property, not acquiring private property of Kashmiri Pandits, which was very often unfortunately legally sold in distress. The Roshni Act was passed when Farooq Abdullah was an alliance-partner of the then Vajpayee-led BJP, and it was repealed recently NOT by the Modi-led BJP (as the WhatsApp forwards claim) but judges of the J&K High Court because of the corruption involved, including under Modi sarkar-appointed Lieutenant Governors, and the BJP, in fact, wants this legislation back, as you can see here and here, and the Supreme Court, while acknowledging a scam, has returned land to genuine beneficiaries of the Act. Nor has, as the WhatsApp forwards falsely state, reportage on the Roshni Act been blanked out by the mainstream media, given it has been covered by media outlets ranging from India Today to the Indian Express to The Hindu.


Interestingly, Farooq belongs to the unconventional minority of Muslims who also embrace many Hindu beliefs and he has actually sung Hindu devotional hymns!

Farooq's son Omar Abdullah, a senior leader in the same party, the J&K National Conference and who is currently CM of J&K, has never shied away from condemning inappropriate remarks by communal and regressive Muslim politicians either, as you can see here and here.

Why Participants and Supporters of Farmers' Protests Should Not be Stereotyped as Khalistanis

Very recently, an Indian-origin Sikh gentleman, Dr. Swaiman, was heckled by Khalistanis in New York. Why? Because Dr. Swaiman, a Sikh himself, had displayed the tricolour during the farmers' protests. This busts the myth that the farmers' agitation was only by Khalistanis.


The way the BJP pushed the farm laws, which, at least in part, clearly favoured cronyists, gave an opening to the Khalistanis to push their agenda on Indian soil (in which unfortunately, the Khalistanis did not entirely fail) and the manner in which some from the BJP and some prominent personalities from its support-base sought to, in a baseless fashion, demonise all the protesting farmers as Khalistani terrorists and/or agents of belligerent foreign powers, as you can see here, here, here, here and here [and some BJP-leaning Twitterati have repeated the pattern with the Minimum Support Price (MSP) protests, other than in another context, a BJP politician having slurred a Sikh policeman with whom he had some disagreement on an unrelated-to-religion matter as ‘Khalistani’, as you can see here, though there was also fake news of another such incident], or the fatally mowing down of four Sikh farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in UP by a BJP minister’s son did not help matters either, and may have won the Khalistan movement some new recruits. There were genuine concerns with the farm laws, such as a clause about not allowing farmers to raise their grievances in civil courts, but allowing a bureaucrat, not necessarily following formal legal procedures, to exercise his/her discretion to adjudicate disputes between farmers and big corporations and the very definition of 'farmer' including big corporations, other than there being a dearth of enough vegetable-market infrastructure for farmers to directly access on their own terms, concerns articulated with nuance even by the Swadeshi Jagran Manch of the RSS, and inserting such problematic clauses and pushing these laws without proper parliamentary debate clouded any objective discussion about the merits, if any, in the other provisions of these controversial laws. Also, steps similar to these farm laws had been tried but failed to deliver in Bihar. Many poor farmers died of the cold in the protests against the farm laws in 2020-2021, thus invalidating the contention that those protesting against these laws were only rich middlemen in the agrarian sector, and farmers from not only Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh but also other parts of India, like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, across religious lines did participate in the protests against the farm laws. While it is indeed very problematic that the proponents of the Khalistan movement also infiltrated the protests (see, for example, this and this) as also that some Sikh protesters (including even some who may not have necessarily been supporters of the Khalistan movement) unnecessarily made a show of religious identity over non-religious legislations for the whole of India and resorted to unlawful modes of protest, that does not mean that there were no genuine grievances or that all or even most of the protesters were anti-India. While very many of the protesters were Hindus, it should also be acknowledged that very many Sikhs themselves are vocal critics of the Khalistan movement (indeed, many Sikhs have had a stellar track record in our Indian security forces, even against Khalistani terrorists), such Sikhs even having been its targets (as you can see, for example, here, here, here and here), and many Sikhs in the farmers’ agitation too very openly distanced themselves from the Khalistan movement.


Indeed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while withdrawing the laws, himself conceded that the farmers of India as a whole largely did not support the controversial farm laws, which makes sense, for if they did, they constitute a far greater number of voters than some agrarian middlemen or some extremists from a minority religious grouping, and the laws would not have had to be withdrawn. So, sections of the BJP ecosystem having demonised all protesters, many Sikhs among whom were also Indian military veterans, may have also definitely contributed to a spike in Khalistani sentiment in Punjab (something the BJP ecosystem should be careful about as farmers again protest for Minimum Support Price guarantees), which has also been seen by the hype given to some pro-Khalistan Punjabi language singers and a Golden Temple guard having the gall to refuse entry to a woman with a tricolour painted on her cheek, saying that Punjab is not a part of India!


As I have discussed at some length in this Twitter thread (worth perusing in full), since 2016, there has been a pattern of Khalistani terror strikes on Indian soil (even if low-intensity), taking Indian citizens’ lives (no, not just some diaspora verbal diarrhoea), other than Amritpal Singh’s followers (many of whom, by the way, got arms licenses from the BJP government-appointed LG’s administration in J&K, which took very long in revoking them as well) having stormed a police station in Punjab to until then have terrorists released and physical attacks on our embassies and consulates as also on Hindu temples overseas, also because of the appeasement and thus emboldenment of Sikh communalism by the Modi sarkar (as against its firm denunciation by Manmohan Singh, as pointed out in the Twitter thread). The Twitter thread cited also gives clear examples of the appeasement of Sikh communalism by the Modi sarkar, such as declaring non-Khalsa Sikhs (who have been brutally targeted by Khalistani terrorists) as being ineligible to vote in gurudwara elections, seeking to commute the death sentence of a Khalistani terrorist Balwant Singh Rajoana and openly declaring that the PM has a special relationship with the Sikhs (over other Indian citizens - imagine the reaction had a Hindu leader from the Congress brought out such a book vis-a-vis Muslims or even Christians!).

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was No Fan of VD Savarkar's

 I may first cite the excerpt from Netaji's book The Indian Struggle, in which he argues that Savarkar was only interested in strengthening the British Indian Army and nothing could be expected from him, as the leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, by then for the cause of Indian freedom (you can see the exact page here - https://archive.org/details/indianstruggle1902subh/page/384/mode/2up; Netaji, as the writer of the book, refers to himself in the third person as "the writer")-

"Mr. Savarkar seemed to be oblivious of the international situation and was only thinking how the Hindus could secure military training by entering Britain’s army in India. From these interviews, the writer was forced to the conclusion that nothing could be expected from either the Muslim League or the Hindu Mahasabha." (emphasis mine)

Next, citing Netaji's radio broadcast dated 31st August 1942 (https://www.myindiamyglory.com/2019/05/11/azad-hind-radio-broadcast-by-netaji-bose-on-august-31-1942/?fbclid=IwAR3ghNxMP3bAEv9rc3VwN6TiJeBFbZQU3wKwt6hrgoL7EqpfEuB7PnvDy_4 - unfortunately, the copy-and-paste option is not there), he reiterated his stand, requesting Jinnah and Savarkar to stop thinking of seeking concessions from the British Empire, saying this empire won't last and only those who as of then contributed to the cause of freedom would be remembered in history! He even praised as nationalists the Majlis-e-Ahrar and Jamiat-ul-Ulema.

I also know that many Hindu rightists claim that Netaji praised Savarkar, calling him ‘Veer’ (that would be quite a U-turn) in a radio broadcast in 1944 for sending recruits to the British Indian Army, who, on being taken as POWs by the Japanese, get recruited in the INA, though such a statement, even if true, sounds more sarcastic! But as Hindu rightist intellectual Aravindan Neelakandan has admitted (https://swarajyamag.com/books/savarkar-ii-by-vikram-sampath-completes-the-journey-of-a-man-misunderstood-by-most) - 

"For example, there is an Azad Hind radio broadcast dated 25 June 1944 that Keer mentions in his Savarkar biography.

Many have quoted it as proof of Savarkar having the latent and strategic revolutionary in him and despite his assurance to the British, he had actually envisioned the INA situation and propelled Bose towards that end.

However, subsequent research by Bose scholars could not authenticate this speech." (emphasis mine)

Neelakandan tries to argue that it could still be factual, but there is no evidence of the same, but the radio broadcast I quoted is completely documented with the full transcript available; so, for Netaji to have contradicted himself does not add up, and something unprovable shouldn't even be up for discussion.

BJP-supporter Chandrachur Ghose also acknowledges how Bose, as Congress president in the late 1930s, while appreciating Savarkar’s pre-Andamans role in the freedom struggle, opposed Savarkar's Hindu Mahasabha strongly (https://theprint.in/opinion/subhas-chandra-bose-wasnt-anti-savarkar-heres-how-its-more-nuanced-than-you-thought/810505/)-

//When Bose asserted that only Congress should represent India in any future Round Table Conference, Savarkar protested. The latter argued that only the Mahasabha could claim to truly represent the Hindus, pointing out that although the Congress had won most of the Hindu seats in the previous elections, it did not contest the elections representing solely Hindu interests.//

//Bose’s criticism reflected his approach towards the communal problem, highlighting the difference with the Mahasabha approach. The Forward Bloc argued that ‘The Hindu Mahasabha has been doing incalculable harm to the idea of Indian nationhood by underlining the communal differences—by lumping all the Muslims together.’

It also mentioned that ‘We cannot oblige Mr Savarkar by ignoring the contributions of the nationalist Muslims to the cause of India.’//

Indeed, Bose’s great escape from house arrest to lead the INA wouldn’t have been possible without the help of nationalist Muslims from NWFP like Mian Akbar Shah, who were the first to host him, risking imprisonment or even death at British imperialist hands!

Further, even later, in a speech he delivered in January 1940 (before he left India to lead the INA), he praised the Ahrars, a Muslim group in Punjab, for rising against the British when the Congress leadership was deliberating (he had left the Congress by then, and he praised the Ahrars in the radio broadcast I first cited), and said of Savarkar and the Hindu Mahasabha–

“Nevertheless, there are people-and stay-at-homes at that-who do not scruple to cast aspersions on the patriotism of Indian Muslims as a body.”

Address but Don't Overhype the Issue of Hindu Casteism to Peddle Anti-Hindu Bias

The executive summary of the "STATE OF WORKING INDIA, 2023," report prepared by the Centre for Sustainable Employment Social Identities and Labour Market Outcomes, Azim Premji University, mentions the following points. 

"In the early 1980s, Scheduled Caste workers were more than 5 times over-represented in waste-related work and over 4 times in leather-related work. 

This has declined rapidly over time, though it is not completely eliminated as of 2021-22. In the leather industry, the representation index declined sharply to 1.4 in 2021. In waste management and sewerage, over-representation of SCs decreased to 1.6 times in 2011."

Reminds me of this statement of Dalit entrepreneur Chandra Bhan    -

"When I saw a Dalit in Bahadurgarh manufacturing cranes with a polytechnic training, I thought India is changing. When I saw a Dalit in Khurja running the biggest sweet shop and people buying sweets from him, while knowing he is Dalit, I thought India is changing. Now Dalits in several parts of India are running good restaurants. People are eating there. So I thought India is changing. So I thought let us go with the change."

Indeed, as much as Dalits are conscious of the historical wrongs they have been - and some of them still are - subjected to (Karna being slurred for being a "sut-putra" and rejected by Draupadi from participating in the swayamvar on that basis in our lore shows how old this rot is), and without in the least undermining how grave some of the hate crimes against Dalits are even today and while acknowledging that a large minority of upper caste Hindus in urban India, especially in the slums, may still consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously believe in caste hierarchies, very many folks today, especially of the current generation and the preceding generation, are completely indifferent to caste (which is good, and the India of today isn't the same as what it was centuries or even decades ago), and there are staunch practising Hindus like Arya Samajis vehemently rejecting caste as a hereditary or hierarchical institution (I've even seen non-Arya Samaji mainstream practising Hindu Brahmin friends from small towns in UP and Rajasthan mingling with and eating from the same plate as their Dalit friends in hostel in my college days in Gujarat), and untouchability is fast disappearing from rural India too, with Dalit political assertion plus genuine broadening of minds of those coming back from the cities (for example, in my house in Delhi, the entire domestic staff used to drink tea prepared by our Pasmanda Muslim cook, who worked for us until recently, without any issues), among other factors.

For all those painting a picture of gloom and doom, here’s something to look at – inter-caste marriages have been on the rise in India (as you can see here and here), even intermarriages between non-Dalit Hindus and Dalits, and more and more young people are open to the same.

Surveys have even shown Dalit students outperforming others in some rural schools. The decreasing relevance of social stigma associated with caste can also be seen from how people from many communities (including the Patidars) are clamouring for the "backward" status to avail of the benefits in college education and government employment it entails, and some people have even faked Scheduled Caste certificates. It also must be noted that discrimination owing to the resentment over well-to-do but less meritorious people being beneficiaries of reservations cannot be equated with discrimination based on believing in casteism, a distinction many tend to blur, though discrimination in either case is unjustified.