Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first major remarks about religious tolerance since his independence day speech on Tuesday at an event organised to celebrate the elevation of two Christians to sainthood. Having been criticised for remaining silent on numerous incidents that have across the country, Modi insisted that his government would not allow any religious group, belonging to either a majority or a minority, to incite hatred against others.



The comments are particularly significant because they were made at a Christian event in Delhi, since the capital has seen a number of incidents around churches and schools in recent days. Many, particularly on the Right,  have argued that these attacks have not been targeted at Christians but are simply being spun to further the sense of minority victimisation and to make the Modi government look bad. This has been aided, in some parts, by reports suggesting that some of the attacks turned out to be petty theft or fires.

Despite this approach, the Modi government has started to become more vocal about the matter, particularly after the Bharatiya Janata Party's drubbing in the Delhi elections. First the PM summoned the Delhi Police Commissioner to insist that those responsible for these incidents should be brought to justice, and now, with his speech, Modi has clearly decided to take a more aggressive stance on the issue.
"India is the land of Buddha and Gandhi. Equal respect for all religions must be in the DNA of every Indian. We cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext and I strongly condemn such violence. My government will act strongly in this regard," the PM said.

His supporters, who have been insisting that minorities in the country are simply crying wolf to attack the Modi government aren't exactly pleased. In their minds, Modi has just given currency to those who believe that the narrative of violence against minorities is a made-up one simply to discredit the new government. And they have been vocal about this.