Hinduism, Hindutva and Hindu Populism in India

An Analysis of Party Manifestos of Indian Rightwing Parties

Bibliographic Data

ID3280592
AuthorsRaja M Ali Saleem (0000-0002-1299-5944, Forman Christian College, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume12
Issue10
Pages803
Publication date2021-09-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel12100803
OpenAlexW3202632903
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited27

Since the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a lot has been written on Hindu nationalism. Prime Minister Modi's ascendency has similarly resulted in a plethora of books and articles on Hindu populism. However, most of the literature does not distinguish between the two. Hindu nationalism and Hindu populism overlap, particularly in Modi's India and Modi's BJP, but they are not the same. In this article, after a discussion on Hinduism's affinity to populism, an attempt has been made to distinguish between Hindu nationalism and Hindu populism based on an analysis of Hindutva parties' election manifestos. Since independence, three Hindutva parties have made a name for themselves at the national level: Hindu Mahasabha, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) and BJP. Based on their importance and success at the national level, one manifesto of Hindu Mahasabha, two manifestos of BJS and four manifestos of the BJP were analyzed based on criteria chosen after literature review. The results show that while Hindu nationalism was strong and visible in early Hindutva parties (Hindu Mahasabha and BJS), Hindu populism was weak and sporadic. Interestingly, for the BJP, there is rise and then drop in Hindu nationalism while Hindu populism has consistently increased

Communalism · Hindu nationalism · Hinduism · Hindutva · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Populism · Sociology · Law · Philosophy · Political Conflict and Governance · Politics and Society in Latin America · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Religious studies

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