Rushdie Slams Modi, Flags Global Rise of Hindu Nationalism

When PBS’s Margaret Hoover sat down with Salman Rushdie for a September 2026 edition of ‘Firing Line’, the conversation turned sharply to India’s political climate. Hoover mentioned a comment by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who once labeled Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “war criminal” for the 2002 Gujarat riots. Rushdie, thoughtful yet unflinching, replied, “I believe he was responsible for some of that violence,” then added, “I wouldn’t call him a war criminal – there wasn’t a war – but he does have a very brutal side.”

Rushdie didn’t stop at the past. He voiced a growing unease about today’s democratic space in India, noting that writers, journalists, academics and even university professors “are being systematically attacked.” He described a climate where speaking truth to power feels increasingly perilous, and where the state seems eager to rewrite history to cast Hindus as the perennial heroes and Muslims as the perpetual villains.

“There’s an active effort to rewrite Indian history,” he said, “to push a polarising narrative that glorifies one community at the expense of another.” This, he warned, erodes the secular foundations on which modern India was built.

Yet amid the bleak assessment, Rushdie found a spark of optimism. He spoke warmly of India’s young people and women, insisting they are “the real hope” for a more inclusive future. “They are pushing back, refusing to accept the constraints being imposed,” he said, emphasizing that their courage could eventually restore a truly secular nation.

The conversation then shifted to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Rushdie warned that the organization’s brand of Hindu nationalism is no longer confined to the subcontinent. “We’re seeing the RSS and its ideology spilling over into America,” he cautioned, describing it as an “intolerant, radical strain of Hinduism” that threatens the pluralistic values both countries claim to cherish.

In sum, Rushdie’s remarks painted a picture of a country at a crossroads: a government that can be ruthless, a civil society under siege, and a nationalist movement that is increasingly global. His final takeaway was simple but powerful – “as long as the youth and women keep fighting, there’s still a chance for India to reclaim its secular, democratic soul.”