The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has taken the country back to 1947 when the subcontinent was partitioned, says Harsh Mander, retired civil servant and social activist. Muslims in India are no longer de facto second-class citizens but become de jure second-class citizens following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, he adds.
Harsh Mander was speaking on the occasion of the 28th Dr Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lecture that took place on 22 August 2026 at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi. The occasion was organized by his son Irfan Engineer, director, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai. Before the keynote lecture was delivered by Ramachandra Guha, Irfan Engineer spoke, followed by an introductory speech by Harsh Mander.
