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National Law Institute University, Bhopal: IV Trimester
National Law Institute University, Bhopal: IV Trimester
BHOPAL
Political science ii
Hindutva
Submitted to -:
Submitted by -:
Dr Raka Aarya
Dheeresh Kumar
Dwivedi
Assistant Professor,
2012B.A.LL.B.65
Political Science
A-1214
IV Trimester
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................3
ORIGIN AND DEFINITION OF THE TERM HINDUTVA....................................................................4
SUPREME COURT ON
HINDUISM.4
CENTRAL CONCEPTS...............................................................................................................6
CULTURAL NATIONALISM.............................................................................................................6
DECOLONIZATION.........................................................................................................................7
SOCIAL JUSTICE............................................................................................................................7
UNIFORM CIVIL CODE..................................................................................................................7
PROTECTION OF HINDU INTERESTS..............................................................................................8
VIEWS ON OTHER FAITHS......................................................................................................8
VIEWS ON INDIAN HISTORY..................................................................................................8
ORGANIZATIONS.......................................................................................................................9
Criticism and Support 10
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Acknowledgement
I am very grateful to our Political Science teacher, Dr. Raka Arya, for providing me this
opportunity to research on this topic and complete my project. I would also like to thank her for
her extremely valuable suggestions, which supported me in completing this project.
Dheeresh Kumar Dwivedi
2012 B.A.LL.B. 65
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Introduction
Origin and definition of the term Hindutva
Hindutva is a word which was coined by Vinayak Damodar Veer Savarkar in his 1923
pamphlet: Hindutva- who is a Hindu?. Originally it was a term used to describe movements
advocating Hindu nationalism.
In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions the concept of Hindutva.
The sangh comprises organizations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), Bajrang Dal, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
This ideology has existed since the early 20th century, forged by Veer Savarkar, but came to
prominence in Indian politics in the late 1980s, when two events attracted a large number of
mainstream Hindus to the movement. The first of these events was the Rajiv Gandhi
government's use of its large Parliamentary Majority to overturn a Supreme Court verdict
granting alimony to an old woman that had angered many Muslims (the Shah Bano case). The
second was the dispute over the 16th century Mughal Babri Mosque in Ayodhya built by
Babur after his first major victory in India. The Supreme Court of India refused to take up the
case in the early 1990s, leading to a huge outcry.
Hindutva or Hindutva literally means Hinduness - a way of life or a state of mind that is based on
the cultural and spiritual ethos based on the spiritual systems that evolved from India.
Hindutva is a Philosophy like Communism or Socialism. The difference is that whereas
communism and socialism are materialistic philosophies intended to secure economic welfare of
individuals, Hindutva is a spiritual plus economic philosophy founded and developed from
ancient times in India for securing the all round happiness of all individuals irrespective of
religion of individuals. The stress in this philosophy both on the ruler and the ruled is the
performance of duty and to conform to a code of conduct. The vast body of proper code of
conduct in every sphere of human activity such as personal, social, political was called
"Dharma".
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The term `Hindu', according to Dr. Radhakrishnan, had originally a territorial and not
credal significance. It implied residence in a well-defined geographical area.
Aboriginal tribes, savage and half-civilized people, the cultured Dravidians and the
Vedic Aryans are all Hindus as they are the sons of the same mother. The Hindu
thinker reckoned with the striking fact that the men and women dwelling in India
belonged to different communities, worshipped different gods, and practiced
different rites are all Hindus2. [The Hindu View of Life by Dr. Radhakrishnan, p.12]
(Kurma Purana).
Though Verma assimilated Hinduism and Hindutva, he was silent on the antecedents of
Hindutva. For example, he did not consider Savarkar and Golwalkars use of sacred soil
and race to include some and exclude others as foreigners. However, the intense debate
generated by the Hindutva judgment brought out some of the important ramifications of
the ruling. Commentators were troubled by the fact that the Court by inferring the
meaning of Hindutva from Hinduism had obscured the historical background as well as
the contemporary political context8 of Hindutva. It was argued that the Court failed to
recognize that Hindutva as an expression has a special meaning and is associated with
the social and political philosophy of Savarkar and Golwalkar 9. It was further pointed
out that the judgment implied that Hinduism, the religion of the majority of Indians,
comes to reflect the way of life of all Indians10.
The same view was taken by the Supreme Court of India in Manohar Joshi v Nitin
Bhaurao Patil & Anr11.
Central Concepts
Cultural Nationalism
According to this, the natives of India share a common culture, history and ancestry.
M S Golwalkar, one of the main proponents of Hindutva believed that India's diversity in terms
of customs, traditions and ways of worship was its uniqueness and that this diversity was not
without the strong underlying cultural basis which was essentially native. He believed that the
Hindu natives with all their diversity, shared among other things "the same philosophy of life",
"the same values" and "the same aspirations" which formed a strong cultural and a civilizational
basis for a nation.
Savarkar similarly believed that the Indian subcontinent (which includes the area south of the
Himalaya and the Hindu Kush or Akhand Bharat (undivided India) is the homeland of the
Hindus. He considered "Hindus" as those who consider India (Bharat) to be their motherland
(matrubhumi), fatherland (pitrubhumi) as well as their holy land (punyabhumi), hence describing
it purely in cultural terms.
RSS, one of the main votaries of Hindutva has stated that it believes in a cultural connotation of
the term Hindu. "The term Hindu in the conviction as well as in the constitution of the RSS is a
cultural and civilizational concept and not a political or religious dogma. The term as a cultural
concept will include and did always include all including Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Muslims,
Christians and Parsis. The cultural nationality of India, in the conviction of the RSS, is Hindu
and it was inclusive of all who are born and who have adopted Bharat as their Motherland,
including Muslims, Christians and Parsis. The answering association submit that it is not just a
matter of RSS conviction, but a fact borne out by history that the Muslims, Christians and Parsis
too are Hindus by culture although as religions they are not so."
Decolonization
Emphasizing historical oppression of Hindus by colonial invaders like the Muslims (Muslim
conquest of the Indian subcontinent) and the Christians and the call to "reverse" the cultural
influence resulting from these intrusions.
Social Justice
The acceptance that Hindu social structure "is ridden with castes and communities", and that this
has led to "barriers and segregation" and condemnation of "obnoxious vice of social inequality"
and "untouchability. The supporters of Hindutva have a positive outlook towards the Dalit
community, which they aim to bring to leadership positions in their organizations.
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Senior RSS leader H V Sheshadri refers to this attitude of "White man's burden" which he
believes shaped the English education system in India and British version of Indian history.
The RSS is opposed to the theory of Indo-Aryan migration to India, a number believing in the
alternative Out of India theory. While largely uncontroversial in academia, the "Aryan Invasion
theory" debate in India, involving e.g. Sita Ram Goel, Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib and Arun
Shourie, is also a matter of politics.
Organizations
Hindutva is commonly identified as the guiding ideology of the Sangh Parivar, a family of Hindu
Nationalist organizations, and of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in particular. In general,
Hindutvavaadis believe that they represent the well-being of Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism,
Ayyavazhi, Jainism and all other religions prominent in India.
Most nationalists are organized into political, cultural and social organizations. The first
Hindutva organisation formed was the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1925.
A prominent Indian political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (BJP) is closely associated
with a group of organisations that advocate Hindutva. They collectively refer to themselves as
the "Sangh Parivar" or family of associations, and include the RSS, Bajrang Dal and the Vishva
Hindu Parishad. Other organisations include:
1.Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh - Overseas branch of the RSS
2.
3.
4.
The major political wing is the BJP which was in power in India's Central Government for six
years from 1998 to 2004 and is now the main opposition party. It is also in power in the states of
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Uttaranchal. It is an alliance partner in
the states of Orissa, Punjab, and Bihar.
Political parties pertaining to the Hindutva ideology are not limited to the Sangh Parivar.
Examples of political parties independent from the Sangh's influence include Praful
Goradia'sAkhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Uma Bharti's Bharatiya Janshakti Party. The influence
of these groups is relatively limited.
The controversial Maharashtrian political party, the Shiv Sena, converted its ideology to the
Hindutva one in recent times. It has been very influential in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The
party is not part of the Sangh Parivar but is associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Similar is
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the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is a Sikh religious party but maintains ties with Hindutva
organizations, as they also represent Sikhism.
Criticism and Support
The opponents of Hindutva philosophy consider Hindutva ideology as a euphemistic effort to
conceal communal beliefs and practices.
Many Indian Marxist sociologues have described the Hindutva movement as fascist in classical
sense, in its ideology and class support specially targeting the concept of homogenised majority
and cultural hegemony. The Hindutva movement on the other hand terms such description as
coming from the far left. More moderate critics of Hindutva do not base their criticism on
allegations of "fascism", but raise issues with regards to their sometimes-vacillating attitudes
towards non-Hindus and secularism. The epithet of "fascism" is also used to evoke double
standards against Hindus in political and academic discourse. The academia and polity have been
accused of engaging in a form of anti-Hindu McCarthyism against Hindu political expression by
leveling the accusation of "fascism" against anyone who expresses sympathy for Hindus.
Marxist critics, have used the political epithets of "Indian fascism" and "Hindu fascism" to
describe the ideology of the Sangh Parivar. For example, Marxist social scientist Prabhat Patnaik
has written that the Hindutva movement as it has emerged is "classically fascist in class support,
methods and programme"
Patniak bases this argument on the following "ingredients" of classical fascism present in
Hindutva: the attempt to create a unified homogenous majority under the concept of 'the Hindus';
a sense of grievance against past injustice; a sense of cultural superiority; an interpretation of
history according to this grievance and superiority; a rejection of rational arguments against this
interpretation; and an appeal to the majority based on race and masculinity.
Views on Hindutva and fascism include those of the Christian convert to the RSS viewpoint,
Anthony Elenjimittan, who based his views on RSS's symbolism of the Bhagva (the banner of
lord Shiva), Dharma Chakra [the Wheel of Faith] and Satyameva Jayate [Truth alone triumphs]
The description of Hindutva as fascist has been condemned by pro-Hindutva authors such as
Koenraad Elst who claim that the ideology of Hindutva meets none of the characteristics of
fascist ideologies. Claims that Hindutva social service organisations such as the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh are "fascist" have been disputed by academics such as Vincent
Kundukulam.
Academics Chetan Bhatt and Parita Mukta reject the identification of Hindutva with fascism,
because of Hindutva's embrace of cultural rather than racial nationalism, because of its
"distinctively Indian" character, and because of "the RSSs disavowal of the seizure of state
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power in preference for long-term cultural labour in civil society". They instead describe
Hindutva as a form of "revolutionary conservatism" or "ethnic absolutism".
Nobel Laureate V.S. Naipaul also rejects these allegations and views the rise of Hindutva as a
welcome, broader civilizational resurgence of India.
Bibliography
1.
2.
3.
4.
www.hindurashtra.org/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindutva
www.proxsa.org/politics/hindutva/hindutva.html
www.lkadvani.in/eng/content/view/378/344/
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