India, April 20 -- Years ago, I read a novel - Kitne Pakistan (How many Pakistans) - by Hindi novelist Kamleshwar, who successfully articulated Indian society's fractious, discriminatory, and power-hungry tendencies. The exodus of people from Murshidabad, West Bengal, has once again forced us to ask whenwe will be able to get rid of the mindset that divides people on the basis of their faith. Do we want to replace the rule of the majority with majoritarianism, where the majority enjoys the exclusive right to exist?

Let's begin with Murshidabad. Riots that broke out after the government of India passed the Waqf Amendment Act have made the lives of minority Hindus miserable. The situation is dire, and it can be understood by the trials a f...