In a candid interview with journalist Karan Thapar for The Wire, former Delhi Lieutenant Governor and Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Dr. Najeeb Jung expressed deep concern over the deteriorating condition of India’s Muslim community.
He described their situation as “very, very grave,” warning that they are “knocking on the doors of being second-class citizens.”
Jung highlighted how Muslims feel pushed to the margins — ill-treated by the state and excluded from India’s mainstream progress. “It’s hurting,” he said, stressing the need for introspection across society. He noted that currently only liberal sections appear worried, which he called disastrous for the nation.
Citing political exclusion, Jung pointed out that despite Muslims forming 27% of West Bengal’s and 34% of Assam’s population, the BJP fielded no Muslim candidates in recent elections. For the first time since Independence, the Union government has no Muslim minister, and the BJP has zero elected Muslim MPs.
Representation has sharply declined: no Muslim Chief Ministers, minimal presence in senior bureaucracy, judiciary, and other key institutions compared to earlier decades.
With Muslims comprising nearly 15% of India’s population (around 200 million), Jung questioned a future where their votes seemingly don’t matter to the ruling dispensation and their role in public life continues to shrink.
