Hindutva is at war with secular democracy in India
Amit Singh
February 2nd, 2024

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Hindu nationalism (also known as Hindutva) is ideologically a combination of religion and nationalism; it is a form of cultural nationalism that emphasises the supremacy of Hinduism and the Hindu majority. Hindu nationalism has continuously reproduced exclusionary practices toward other religious communities since its beginnings in 1925. The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), a Hindu militant organisation, fiercely divided Hindus along religious lines and reaffirmed its belief in Akhand Bharta (United India) with Hindus as rulers. Hindu nationalists have used religion more successfully than others for their goals. The function of Hindu religion in nationalism and its negative impact on secular democracy and human rights are also well known, especially the use of religion by Hindu nationalists in large scale anti-Muslim riots.

Why do Hindu nationalists view Indian secularism as a hostile discourse against a Hindu majority? Secularism in an Indian context allows for the equality and respect of all religions, whereas Hindu nationalism being an ‘ethno-centric’ discourse rejects secularism, enforces supremacy of Hindu religion, rejects cultural diversity, remains intolerant to dissenting views and justifies violence against dissenters. Secularism promotes freedom of belief and qualified freedom to express one’s beliefs while respecting the rights of others. Secularism also supports democracy, the rule of law, and individual freedom and liberty. The ideology of Hindutva, however, propagates the supremacy of Hindus over religious minorities, denies the latter any special rights and enforces the idea of one nation, one religion, one language, and one culture. In the Indian context, secularism instead promotes religious pluralism, religious tolerance, and cultural harmony between different faiths. Secularism strives for a society based on reason and rationality, while Hindutva promotes pseudo-science, myths and miracles as facts. It seeks to create an obedient society for the Hindu nation without the possibility of questioning unjust social dogmas.

Hindutva supporters have consistently attacked secularism as a state policy and weakened it through their communal practices of religious polarisation. According to Juli Gittinger, Hindu nationalists’ target is not the Muslim community, but rather ‘secular nationalism’. The ideology of secular nationalism poses a significant challenge to the project of homogeneity pursued by Hindutva organisations such as the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha.

The conflict between Hindu nationalism and secular democracy has become more apparent during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a right-wing Hindu nationalist...
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https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2024/02/hindutva-is-at-war-with-secular-democracy-in-india/#:~:text=Secularism%20also%20supports%20democracy%2C%20the,one%20language%2C%20and%20one%20culture.

Other sources/extended reading:

1. Indian Christians Worry About Indian American Political Success
Surinder Kaur

How an increasing number of Hindu politicians in America might threaten religious freedom in India.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/10/indian-christians-hindutva-worry-about-indian-hindu-american-political-success/
https://americankahani.com/perspectives/kamala-and-usha-indian-christians-in-the-u-s-are-wary-of-indian-american-political-success/

2. The Hindutva Lobby
How Hindu nationalism spreads in America
by Andrew Cockburn

https://harpers.org/archive/2024/10/the-hindutva-lobby-hindu-nationalism-america-andrew-cockburn/

No pay wall link added on edit.
https://www.archivebuttons.com/articles?article=https://harpers.org/archive/2024/10/the-hindutva-lobby-hindu-nationalism-america-andrew-cockburn/

3. Rise of Hindutva in the American Extreme Right

https://www.alterinter.org/?Rise-of-Hindutva-in-the-American-Extreme-Right

4. Islamist groups in US fear a Crackdown after Hindu Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as DNI.

https://hinduexistence.org/2025/02/14/islamist-groups-in-us-fear-a-crackdown-after-hindu-tulsi-gabbard-confirmed-as-dni/

5. Frontiers of American Reaction
The Far-Right Across Borders
How ‘Yankee Hindutva’ Became a MAGA Satellite

https://www.illiberalism.org/how-yankee-hindutva-became-a-maga-satellite/

6. The Complicity of Usha Vance
Usha Vance joins a growing chorus of South Asian Republicans willing to serve as enforcers of white supremacy and use their brown skin to launder MAGA’s racism just to achieve power.

https://thelefthook.substack.com/p/the-complicity-of-usha-vance