The radical nationalist ideologies like Fascism and Nazism were evolved by various European dictators, namely Mussolini and Hitler, in the early Twentieth Century. These totalitarian political ideologies immensely influenced the world politics at that juncture. Essentially inspired by the racial and national chauvinist movements in Europe; Hindutva, a Hindu nationalist political ideology, was introduced in India in 1920s. Aimed at establishing Hindu hegemony, this ideology called for prompting Hindu way of life and its cultural symbols in India. In 1925, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation, was founded primarily to champion this ideology in India.
The swastika is an ancient Hindu symbol which was adopted by both Nazi party and RSS as their organisational emblem. It is also a known fact that senior RSS members had direct links to both Adolf Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini in Italy. In fact, sharing opposition against the British Empire, they all were a sort of natural allies. Therefore, RSS was banned during the British rule in India. After the defeat of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in World War II, the Hindu nationalists in India distanced themselves from these totalitarian regimes of Europe.
Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), which was originally organised as a political wing of RSS, officially adopted the Hindutva ideology in 1989. Ever since, it has diligently been pursuing radical Hindu nationalist policies in India. Within three years after formally adhering to Hindutva ideology, BJP, along with other Hindu nationalist parties in India, succeeded in mobilising the Hindu extremists to demolish the historical Babari Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992. Although the BJP has become a mainstream political force in India now, it has failed to rise above the narrow nationalist politics in the country. It can easily be observed trying to translate its Hindutva ideology, covertly or overtly, in India all the time.
The current violent wave of Hindu extremism running across the India is also being attributed to the radical nationalist policies of the ruling BJP. Under the political umbrella of BJP, all the Hindutva-oriented organisations are quite at liberty to victimise and persecute other communal minorities in the country. Within the last few months, there have been many deplorable incidents in India like the tragic Dadri mob lynching case, the cancellation of Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali’s concert in Mumbai, blackening of the face Indian politician and activist Subheendra Kulkarni for organising the launch of former Pakistani former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s book in Mumbai, the ink attack on the Kashmiri lawmaker engineer Rashid outside the New Delhi Press Club, the storming of Mumbai office of BCCI by the Shiv Sina activists canceling the scheduled meeting between Pakistan and India’s cricket board officials. All these incidents speak volumes about the rising and unabated Hindu extremism in India.
As a matter of fact, communal disharmony has been a chronic problem in the Indian Sub-content for a long time. The multi-communal, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual character of India has also been a major governing challenge for the rulers in this region. The so-called Two Nation Theory ultimately led the partition of India in 1947. The Bengal nationalism further caused Pakistan to be broken up on ethnicity basis in 1971. There have also been bloody Muslim-Hindu communal riots at the time of partition killing hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the Radcliffe line.
At the time of partition, one of the primary challenges for both India and Pakistan was to equitably deal with the minorities leaving in both dominions. However, at that time, both countries hardly possessed any reliable or workable mechanism for the same. Therefore, in order to ensure rights to minorities, Pakistan chose to adhere to the fundamental principles and teachings of Islam required for establishing an egalitarian and pluralistic society. Certainly, Islam ensures religious freedom to all individuals irrespective of religion or creed. The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan adopted the landmark Objective Resolution in 1948 which pledged to fully protect the rights of minorities in the countries. Later, all the subsequent Constitutions, promulgated in Pakistan, incorporated the principles laid down in this historic document.
On the other hand, Hinduism, as a religion, does not provide any significant theological modus operandi to treat the non-Hindu minorities. Instead of emphasising on pluralism, it has given rise to a compartmentalised society based on hierarchical caste system. Therefore, in the absence of any appropriate religious code to deal with the minorities, India readily decided to adhere to the principle of secularism at the time of independence. Ever since, India has successfully been using the instrument of secularism to tackle its multi-communal society.
Despite the fact Hindus were in majority in the country, the founding fathers of India sagaciously decided to declare India a secular state instead of a Hindu nationalist state. Now the preamble to the constitution of India essentially signifies that India is secular state. It says, “We, the People of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic”. The constitution guarantees religious freedom to all communities including the freedom of worship, and right to establish and maintain the religious institutions and organisations.
Although India is a declared secular state, there are many religious communities that have constantly been complaining about discrimination in the county. As a matter of fact, India has never been a perfect or ideal secular state. Sometimes, it is also referred to as pseudo-secular state. However, the Congress Party, which have ruled India most of the time after independence, has been endeavouring to maintain India’s secular face in the world. On the other hand, certain Hindu nationalist parties, including the ruling BJP party, having been trying to promote Hindu nationalism in India at the cost of its secular image in the world.
In fact, secularism is a strong cohesive force in multi-communal India. It has successfully bound together a country with a diverse religious configuration. It has played an important role in the national integration of India. Therefore, if India, deliberately chooses to undermine, or otherwise abandon altogether, its secular character, then there will be no instrument to hold together its multi-communal population within a single geographical entity. Consequently, there would be a great chaos in India which may seriously endanger its national integrity. Observably, the separatist and freedom movements in various provinces, namely Kashmir and Punjab, have intensified since the BJP assumed power in India last year.
The radical nationalist ideologies propounded and evolved by the European dictators have long been collapsed. Now the egalitarianism and pluralism are considered to be the essential elements for national and regional development in Europe. Similarly, the 16th to 18th century intellectual and philosophical movements in Europe, namely the Reformation, Rationalism and Enlightenment, have also substantially transformed the social and religious institutions in Europe. Now religious extremism has no place in the national discourse of European countries. European nations have learnt a great lesson from the past. Now the third world countries should also learn similar lessons from their collective follies.
Pakistan has also failed in effectively containing sectarianism and extremism in the country. Resultantly, these menaces have played havoc with the peace and stability in the country. The violent extremist and terrorism has been posing an existential threat to Pakistan for a long time. However, now Pakistan has successfully evolved a national consensus to curb extremism in the country. Therefore, India should also always keep in mind that Hindutva and similar ideologies will get it nowhere. Instead, these radical ideologies will damage it beyond repair. India has to seriously realise it now. And the sooner the better.