HINDUSTAN ideology is seen as damaging Indian secularism through sustained push to the vision of India as an explicitly Hindu nation state (Hindu Rashtra). BJP under the leadership of PM Narrinder Modi is deeply involved in institutionalizing this concept which fundamentally contradicts the constitutionally mandated secular and pluralistic foundations. State supported systematic thrust to this ideology has led to the marginalization of minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, vis a vis increased social and political polarization.
Hindu nationalism, also known as Hindutva, is a transnational far-right political ideology grounded in Hindu supremacy. In India, RSS influenced Hindu nationalists advocate a strict form of ethno-nationalism which practically negates the secular Indian republic and reimagine India as a state meant exclusively for the Hindu nation. In the context of 1947 partition, the Muslims in India have been the major sufferer of violent Hindutva activism promoted by the RSS and its splinter wings including the BJP. An eye opening report released by the Rutgers Center for Security, Race, and Rights (CSRR) titled “Hindutva in America: An Ethno- nationalist Threat to Equality and Religious Pluralism” has stirred debate about the RSS influenced activism in US.
According to the report, Hindutva ideology is perceived as a threat to American religious pluralism because it is a transnational ethno – nationalist movement that seeks to define a singular cultural and national identity, which critics argue is inherently exclusionary and anti-minority. CSRR) report pointed out that US-based Hindutva groups work against core American values of equality and pluralism. In specific words, the RSS ideology is seen as a threat to the American socio-religious values. Hindutva-aligned groups in the US are accused of spreading hate and supremacist ideas against Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Dalits within American society, mirroring the conflicts in India.
The ideology promotes a narrative that true Indian identity is exclusively Hindu, which marginalizes non-Hindu Indian Americans and undermines the diverse, multi-religious history of South Asia. The report has claimed that Hindutva groups actively had been opposing civil rights efforts, particularly those aimed at acknowledging caste discrimination in America. They also targeted academics and activists critical of the ideology with harassment, which is seen as a threat to academic freedom and open discourse in American universities. Activists affiliated with such groups reportedly lobby politicians and try to influence US foreign policy to align with the agenda of right-wing political parties in India, attempting to “monopolize Indian identity” in the American political landscape.
US based Hindutva protagonists find common ground and form alliances with American far-right groups, including white Christian nationalists and Zionists, primarily through shared threads of Islamophobia and an embrace of authoritarian nationalism. Report has also identified a core tactic of framing any criticism of Hindutva ideology or related BJP government policies as “Hinduphobia”, a tactic that critics argue is used to silence dissenting voices and shut down conversations about caste and religious discrimination. Saner quarters in India are also critical to the wild export of hateful Hindutva ideology across the globe under the questionable patronage of Modi led BJP government.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
