The many faces of India's minority

As the meaning of minority changes from one state to another, is there a need to redefine it?

When Ashwini Upadhyay, Supreme Court advocate and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi spokesperson, filed a public interest litigation in the apex court, it seemed he knew exactly which petition would grab headlines. In a three-prayer petition, Upadhyay’s final petition — that Hindus be granted minority status in the eight states where they are in minority — was the one that became a talking point. While the Supreme Court asked Upadhyay to make a representation to the National Commission for Minorities and not its own bench, what seemed like a ludicrous demand for a Hindu-majority nation raised pertinent questions about the definition