--- description: She called people who did not follow Lord Ram "bastards" title: Indian Minister Calls Non-Hindus 'Bastards' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ab4dfd7a5c506ac/69876ce0e53aba79624d658a/h_51655598.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Indian Minister Who Called Non-Hindus 'Bastards' Gets to Keep Her Job by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 5, 2014 3:46 AM CUT  Bharatiya Janata Party leader Niranjan Jyoti takes an oath as a Cabinet minister during a swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi on Nov. 9, 2014 Bharatiya Janata Party leader Niranjan Jyoti takes an oath as a Cabinet minister during a swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi on Nov. 9, 2014Prakash Singh/Pool—EPA by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 5, 2014 3:46 AM CUT An Indian minister who [used a derogatory term](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30326774 "undefined") to describe non-Hindus during a campaign speech has been allowed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep her job. Niranjan Jyoti told a rally in New Delhi that they had to make a choice between ”a government of the followers of Ram \[Hindus\] and a government of bastards,” the BBC reported. But the country’s Food Processing Minister was only given a stern warning by Modi, who told Parliament that he disapproved of her language but that she had apologized for her remarks. Jyoti also expressed remorse in both houses of Parliament, [according](http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/apology-wont-suffice-sadhvi-niranjan-jyoti-must-resign-opposition-members/ "undefined") to the _Indian Express_. The apology was not sufficient for the opposition, though, with the Congress party, whose secular politics she was maligning in her speech, calling for her resignation. Jyoti and Modi both belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is known for its Hindu nationalist politics. Modi’s campaign to become Prime Minister was also dogged by allegations of indifference amounting to culpability during 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the state of Gujarat, where he was chief minister. However, the Supreme Court subsequently cleared him of all charges. \[[_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30326774 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3619564/niranjan-jyoti-racist-india-bjp/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3619564/niranjan-jyoti-racist-india-bjp/"},"headline":"Indian Minister Who Called Non-Hindus 'Bastards' Gets to Keep Her Job","datePublished":"2014-12-05T03:46:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:36:10.756Z","description":"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been dogged by allegations of Hindu nationalism","url":"https://time.com/3619564/niranjan-jyoti-racist-india-bjp/","keywords":["India","Narendra Modi","campaign","Parliament"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ab4dfd7a5c506ac/69876ce0e53aba79624d658a/h_51655598.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ab4dfd7a5c506ac/69876ce0e53aba79624d658a/h_51655598.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ministers take oath during a swearing-in ceremony at The Presidential Palace in New Delhi","caption":"Ministers take oath during a swearing-in ceremony at The Presidential Palace in New Delhi","creditText":"Prakash Singh/Pool—EPA","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3619564/niranjan-jyoti-racist-india-bjp/","name":"Indian Minister Who Called Non-Hindus 'Bastards' Gets to Keep Her Job"}}]}] ```