On August 2, 2017, the Narendra Modi Government approved a proposal to change country’s electoral law to allow overseas Indians to cast their vote in assembly and parliamentary elections through their proxies. Unlike service personnel who have the possibility to nominate a permanent proxy to vote in absence, Non-Resident Indians will have to nominate one proxy for each poll.
However, they do not have to anymore fly back to India for voting. If the proposal passes through Parliament, it will make it much easier for most of the sixteen million Indian voters settled in foreign countries to vote in Indian elections.
Voting by proxy suffers from serious implementation challenges as overseas Indians live in different parts of the world. Indian embassies and high commissions are short in human resources and are not able to handle the consular services. The regular elections in India will further add to their workload. Moreover, while appointing proxies, a married woman has to appoint someone in in-laws’ house, which will further force her to follow her husband’s political ideology than her own. NRI employers and supervisors might also force their employees and juniors to select proxies according to their choices.
However, this proposal of NRI voting, which is being pursued since 2014, is another attempt of Narendra Modi to nurture his Hindu diaspora base. After he became India’s Prime Minister, Hindus among Indian diaspora have become politically very active and their cultural identity is being influenced with political ideology of Hindutva.
There are a number of religious minorities within overseas Indian communities, but due to the sheer number and domination, a cultural form of Hinduism is being used to mobilize the Indian diaspora. A myth making industry is at place to spread the belief that Hinduism is in danger from the ‘secular’ forces in India. Increasingly, this Hindu identity has not been limited to remain being socio-cultural aspects only, it has also been colored with the political ideology of Hindutva.
In Europe and North America, Hindu revivalism among the overseas Indians has been gathering strength since Ayodhya Movement. However, in recent years progressive and secular voices have been isolated among Indians living abroad and Hindu communal forces in the guise of cultural and religious fronts control resources and exert influence over the community. RSS has also been directly involved in mobilizing overseas Indians in different parts of the world with the help of its branches known abroad as Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh (HSS).
Overseas Hindus, whose financial muscle have become quite impressive, strives hard for social and political recognition in India. Its involvement has grown beyond doing some philanthropic activities in and around their villages of origin. NRIs are taking strong interest in electoral politics, have been supporting and financing the ’Hindutva’ candidates in elections. Signs of it were seen clearly in the 2014 general election, where the Hindus living abroad took greater interest in BJP candidates’ selection and electioneering.
NRIs usually enjoy a superior social status in India. Due to their access to wealth and knowledge, overseas Hindus are able to influence the identity and interests of their kin and also their voting behavior. The attachment to the goal of rescuing their ’Hindu’ nation from secular forces, overseas Hindus are no longer isolated from what is happening in India in the current era of increased global connectivity and communication. Through personal connections, travel and the use of information technology, overseas Hindus are actively engaged in Indian political processes.
Overseas Hindu groups in the West had lobbied hard to improve Narendra Modi's reputation after the Gujarat riot of 2002.
Modi after becoming Prime Minister is travelling around the world and publicly addressing large overseas Hindu gatherings and eulogizing them as ambassadors of India. He has been asking them to support his pet projects with high ‘Hindu’ cultural significance, like cleaning up the Holy Ganga.
In the West, Hindu revivalism among the diaspora has assumed a powerful political shape. By allowing them now to directly participate in the election process in India though this new legislation by Modi Government, this revivalism will naturally reach its peak. Already a mobilized overseas Hindus will be further mobilized in each and every election by activists of Overseas Friends of BJP and HSS. This process might further help BJP’s electoral fortune in India, but their electoral mobilization might also further threaten many minority diaspora groups and civil rights activists and make them more active and confrontational.
By overtly promoting the mobilization of overseas Hindus, Modi seems to have already instigated the large and powerful Sikh diaspora to work again to build a separate Sikh identity and demand for a separate homeland. The idea for an independent Sikh state is being reintroduced these days not from the people or political parties of Punjab, but from Sikh expatriates abroad. Similarly, over-active Hindu diaspora have started to bring all the Kashmiri diaspora groups together to support the struggle in Kashmir. The division among its ranks has started to bridge, and Kashmiri Valley diaspora has joined together with Mirpuris living in Europe and North America to support the cause to make Kashmir a part of the Pakistan.
Not only religion, caste also defines as well as divides overseas Indians. Hindutva forces, which promote rightwing political agenda among NRIs, also supports the social discourse that favors the Brahmanic upper caste values. These groups support the revocation of country’s caste-based job reservation policy. The possibilities for them to vote will not only further encourage them to pursue their objective with much vigor but it might further divide the overseas Indians on caste lines.
The ‘proxy’ voting right to NRIs will certainly bring electoral dividends to ruling BJP and strengthen Modi’s support base among overseas Indians. But, increasing invasive political activism, which will be encouraged by this promised legislation will have huge ramifications for democratic institutions of the home country. Overseas Indians mostly live a relatively peaceful and richer life abroad and at the same time do whatever possible to promote an aggressive form of religious-nationalism and undermining the key political institutions of India. It is important to realize, when India in turmoil that enhances their ‘living abroad’ status further.
Parliament has to take a pause and think through carefully the serious ramification of allowing overseas Indians to electorally engage in country’s domestic politics. While, it might be of certain electoral help for Modi and of support to RSS to promote its Hindutva agenda, but will have serious implications for country’s democracy and peace.
(The writer is professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden.)
