This is the reason Hindutva is as just and relevant as it has ever been
Hindutva is more than just a set of uncoordinated principles, they were laid down well before Indian independence; as a concept it has also coalesced around political entities and dominant socio-political thought but that interpretation has remained somewhat dormant until now. And for good reason because it is only under BJP rule and Narendra Modi’s premiership that we can see how relevant Hindutva is and needs to be.
Perhaps Hindutva was hastened in its approach with the Ram Mandir movement, resulting in the destruction of the Babri Masjid, which arguably even highlighted the culmination of Hindutva as a political force.
But it’s the 21st century that’s led to a refinement and refocus for Hindutva because it reflects how the political landscape of India has changed. If you were a Hindu who self-identified as secular before then, you are more inclined to the right now; if you were right-wing then, perhaps you’d be described as alt-right now.
Congress is now irrelevant, it has been dethroned by the Parivar which is India’s natural party of governance and the fact it is not pro-minority and is resolutely Hindu is a major factor in its ascendancy. That’s why Rahul Gandhi is desperately and pathetically trying to prove himself as a born-again Hindu but anyone with half a brain understands it’s a chimera, that he is as devoted to the Congress pro-minority tag as ever. It’s just not politically expedient for him anymore.
Mr Modi’s popularity remains strong for good reason as even ex-Congress voters are not inclined to desert him. Hindutva is riding strong because those voters who were attracted to him because of his RSS and pro-Hindu appeal remain so attached.
Why is Hindutva in the ascendancy right now? It’s because it reflects anger at a decidedly political attempt to malign India for being Indian, for Hindus for being Hindu.
Let’s start with the protection of cows, which is enshrined in the Indian Constitution as a directive principle of state policy. Congress cared little for the preservation of cows and their protection, appealing to the minority vote and throwing this scared animal in the literal and non-literal gutter. After Modi came to power, many Indian states realized it was the morally and religiously correct time to ban cow slaughter.
Critics will point to cow vigilantism but why shouldn’t Hindus protect their sacred animal? After all those minority groups who openly killed cows and organized beef fests in plain sight of Hindus didn’t care about how abhorrent the practice was to the ordinary Hindu. The cow is deeply ingrained into the Hindu psyche for its sacrosanct status is without question to a devout Hindu. Isn’t the Constitution sacred after all?
The second factor that has bolstered Hindutva of late has been love jihad which some still contest. The ‘movement’ as such argued that Hindu girls were marrying outside the faith (under false pretenses, coercion, harassment and deception) while minority girls were not marrying into the Hindu faith (and resolutely would not). It’s certainly happening in India but to what degree? After all India doesn’t maintain a registry of inter-faith marriages unlike the US where inter-racial marriages are well-documented.
Anger from the Hindu quarter in India is completely understandable as there is nothing in Hinduism that forces a non-Hindu spouse to convert to Hinduism, ranking it in an entirely different category to some minority faiths. It’s also a religion that does not lead to murder or forced conversion
Hindutva is also flourishing because Hinduism is a non-evangelical religion by and large, especially compared to some minority religions which are, and in some cases fiercely so. There’s an ugly double standard here which Hindutva now faces head on, which is it’s seemingly permissible for minorities to recruit and coerce Hindus to convert but if any Hindu tries to convert a minority, then there is hell to pay.
These aren’t dogwhistle factors for Modi whenever he, or the RSS, or the BJP, articulate them because most of these factors that have driven Hindutva to the ascendancy are religiously objectionable to a Hindu, nationalist or not.
Hindutva flourishes today because there has been a formidable shift in the mindset of the Hindu and this tectonic shift will not accept the fake or soft Hindutva that Rahul Gandhi thinks will win him votes.
