Religion trumps caste in Modi's pan-Hindu unity appeal

Voters born at the bottom of the Hindu faith's rigid caste system will determine whether Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to power in June.

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More than two-thirds of India's 1.4 billion people are estimated to be on the lower rungs of a millennia-old social hierarchy that divides Hindus by function and social standing.

Politicians of all stripes have courted lower-caste Indians with affirmative action programmes and job guarantees as well as special subsidies to mitigate longstanding discrimination and disadvantage.

But Mr Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has established itself as India's dominant political force with a different pitch: Think of your religion first and caste second.

"There are no economic opportunities and business has never been so bad for me," said Mr Anil Sonkar, a 55-year-old fishmonger and a member of the Dalit castes, once disparagingly known as "untouchables".

"But under this government, we feel safe and proud as Hindus," he said in the tourist city of Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.

"That is why, despite everything, I voted for Modi," he added.

Mr Modi's party is expected to easily win the 2024 national election once it concludes in June, in large part due to his government's positioning of the Hindu faith at the centre of its politics.

His government has been accused in turn of marginalising the country's 200-million-plus Muslims, leaving many among them fearful for their future in India.