To counter the rising Hindutva politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Indian liberals and progressive activists frequently like to quote B.R. Ambedkar’s ‘constitutional morality’. They treat the Constitution as the final, self-evident document. But they have failed to make room for what I call the new ‘Hindutva constitutionalism’. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh also hails the Constitution when it comes to contentious policies such as abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s Article 370, Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Triple Talaq and ban on cow slaughter.
Hence, the RSS’ new Hindutva must be understood in relation to the idea of Hindutva constitutionalism.
Devotion to Indian Constitution has been one of the most considerable aspects of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent speeches and discourses. In fact, he links the Constitution to the cultural-political ethos of the RSS.
The RSS, he asserts, strives to achieve the constitutional idea of India.
This enthusiastic acceptance of the Indian Constitution as the ultimate source of the RSS’ ideology and action goes against the standard liberal critique of Hindutva. The argument that Hindutva politics defies secular principles of the Constitution, and therefore it is legitimate to call it anti-constitutional, does not fit well with Hindutva’s present-day political imaginations.
The contemporary Hindutva, we must note, is not interested in the old Hindu nationalist rhetorical ideals such as Dharam Rajya, Hindu Rashtra or even Akhand Bharat. On the contrary, it has evolved a new form of politics, which appropriates the existing legal-constitutional framework for creating favourable political common-sense.
Also read: Legal autocrats are on the rise. They use constitution and democracy to destroy both
What is Hindutva constitutionalism?
In a rather technical sense, constitutionalism refers to the norms and principles that not only create State institutions (legislative, executive and judicial powers) but also impose certain limits and curbs on them.
The moral principles outlined in the Preamble and the directives given to the State in Part IV of our Constitution (Directive Principles of the State Policy) may be taken as examples of these legal limits.
There is also a political meaning of constitutionalism that has evolved over the years. The ideologically divided political class of the 1950s accepted the Constitution as the fundamental reference point to participate in formal electoral politics. But even people like Jayaprakash Narayan articulated a political anxiety about the success of the Constitution in the Indian context (A Plea for the Reconstruction of the Indian Polity, 1959).
Even as the political parties relied heavily on the language of constitutionalism in the realm of electoral politics, they continued to evolve different ideologically suitable interpretations of the Indian Constitution. This paved the way for differing forms of ideologically oriented and politically feasible constitutionalism. The Hindutva constitutionalism is one such political form.
Also read: This is no Emergency. Modi and Shah are using democracy to subvert democracy
Three features of Hindutva constitutionalism
Unlike other political forces, Hindutva groups never envisaged the Constitution as a self-explanatory text. In the post-1990 period, when every political party, including the Left groups, started celebrating the Indian Constitution as the ultimate document of democracy, the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued to have a critical engagement with it. Even the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government constituted a committee to review the working of the Constitution.
It was Narendra Modi who not only described it as a “holy book” but also gave an outline to Hindutva constitutionalism in later years. In October 2015, the government declared that 26 November, the day when the Constituent Assembly adopted the final draft of the Constitution in 1949, would be celebrated as the Samvidhan Divas every year. In a speech dedicated to the greatness of the Constitution, Modi went on to say that “if there is any creation made by man, which is immortal, it is India’s Constitution”.
1. Emphasis on technicalities
Reliability on legal technicalities to articulate a persuasive political position is the first feature of contemporary Hindutva. It is important to remember that the Hindu nationalists of the 1950s—the Jana Sangh or Hindu Mahasabha—found it difficult to give up the colonial categories (such as Hindus and Muslims) for asserting their majoritarianism. They realised that the Constitution, in a way, does not allow the political parties to evoke religion directly. They employ a more sophisticated legal language that enables them to claim an inclusive character. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, for example, is not exclusively about the migrating Hindus. It covers the non-Muslim religious minorities of the neighbouring Muslim states, including Hindus.
2. One Nation, One Constitution
The Hindutva constitutionalism recognises the ‘one nation, one Constitution’ as the foundational principle of its politics. Instead of relying entirely on the old Hindu nationalist claims that Kashmir—a Muslim-majority state—should not have any special status, the Hindutva groups propose a refined legal explanation. It asserted that while the other provisions of the Constitution are fixed, permanent and consistent, Article 370 is an unwanted and useless addition to it that has been kept for obvious political reasons by the Congress.
The political determination of the BJP and the strong will of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, according to this line of reasoning, have been instrumental in achieving the ‘one nation, one Constitution’ framework. It is worth noting that the Presidential order that revoked the special status of Kashmir is called the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 2019.
3. Minority—not majority
Emphasis on a refined and more profound idea of minority—not majority—is the third and final feature of Hindutva constitutionalism. In the last six years, the BJP government has tried to appropriate the idea of minority to legitimise its Hindu victimhood argument. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Supreme Court in 2017 by a BJP leader demanded that Hindus must be declared a minority in eight states (Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Punjab). It was argued that the minority rights of Hindus are “being siphoned off illegally and arbitrarily to the majority population because neither Central nor the State Governments have notified them (sic) Hindus as a ‘minority’ in these states”.
The CAA also extends the scope of this legal claim. By highlighting the persecution of Hindu minorities in Muslim-majority countries, this law seems to underline the old RSS argument: Hindu majority in India is insignificant because India is surrounded by Muslim-majority states.
The liberal opponents of Hindutva have not yet realised the political effectiveness of Hindutva constitutionalism. They still treat the Indian Constitution as a self-explanatory political text. This over-reliance on the Constitution as the ultimate source to discredit Hindutva is increasingly becoming counter-productive.
The author is Associate Professor, CSDS, New Delhi. Views are personal.
Here, I think the secularists and liberals are those who are not following the constitution properly. The Indian constitution treats are equally, defines India as secular, then why there is majority and minority communities? And why certain personal laws for certain people?
To link the abrogation of article 370 with Hinduism is totally unwanted. These secularists are seem to be talking on behalf of Pakistan. They never question the forcible occupation of PoK by Pakistan. The Bihar results proved that the abolition of Triple Talaq was by and large was welcomed by the Muslim women. And above all there are no Muslim secularist in India. You won’t find any Muslim offering prayers in temples or churches etc. But Hindus are found to be offering prayers and attending religious ceremonies of muslims and Christians too. If there is any true secular religion, it is Hinduism. Irony is that our secularists/ liberals equate our relationship with Pakistan to Hinduism. For them Hindus are to be blamed for everything connected with Pakistan.
Mr Hilal Ahmed will do well if he can explain to Hindus why Indian Muslims want to take processions to oppose French President or support Saddam Hussain against America but do not express their anger ( if any) against Pakistan against Mumbai attack or Pulwama. Or why not come out to support triple talak bill which gives some dignity to Muslim women. Or demand that practice of polygamy be scrapped to give equality to Women. I will be grateful if The Print can publish his personal views on these issues.
Congress reason for opposing trip[le Talak bill ( criminalisation) does not hold water as Congress could have passed a law, if they support the central idea, withour criminalisation in60-65 years any time.
If liberals have no strategy (as the author claims) to counter the RSS’s Hindutva fascism, then India is doomed (Nehru had a premonition of this).
The liberals in Germany were over taken in 1933 by the Nazis – who employed mass mobilisation for intimidation of opponents. Germans were dizzy with the prospect that their Aryan Fuhrer was going to conquer the world. Indeed, in the first few years, it looked like success after success with conquest of Austria, Czech lands, Poland, and even France and the low countries. But the Fuhrer over reached himself with the attempt to conquer the Soviet Union. It led to the Soviets and Allies to conquer Germany and partition it. Germany lost 25% of its lands to Poland and the Soviet Union. The Germans have learnt their lesson and have taken steps to prevent the rise of fascism.
What have the Hindu Nazis achieved ? They had been plotting since the 1990s (Advani’s rakt yatra). They got a minority govt. with Vajpayee in 2000. They got a full majority in 2014 with their Fuhrer Modi. What have the Hindu Nazis achieved in 6 years ? It is time for stock taking.
Modi’s trajectory is not exactly like Hitler’s. Democracy is not suspended and he has not attempted to conquer and create Akhand Bharat (that is because the neighbours are armed with nuclear weapons). Modi and the RSS have used infiltration of all the institutions of the state – police, army, media, judiciary, Presidency, even hospitals and schools and universities. It is a slower poison. They have also masked their wicked plans with ‘Hindutva constitutionalism’ as the author poimts out. When the economy unravels as it is doing, the grounds are created to abolish democracy – and all the infiltrated institutions of the state will be compliant.
Just look at Modi’s record from 2014 :
Instead of building on the growth platform laid by MMS when the oil price had come down below $40/barrel, Modi put the economy into a tail spin with demonetisation. It was supposedly to fight corruption, but the aim was never more than win the UP election.
Modi said black money would be brought back to stimulate growth. Indians were even promised 15 lakhs each. But afterwards, it was declared a jumla.
A bullet train was announced. Modi said it will show India’s power. It is nowhere – even the land is not purchased. No one talks about it.
The first term was spent on encouraging cow lynchers, assaulting minorities, ghar wapsie – that is, intimidation of minorities, to project Hindu greatness. Then they fought with university students. Rape soared.
A number of slogans were launched : swach bharat, Make in India, digital India, smart cities. What is the result ? India is as dirty as ever. The proof ? When Trump came to Gujarat, Modi built a wall to hide swach bharat ! A 3000 crore Patel statue was built – it was Made in China.
At the end of the first term, at election time, a suspicious attack was staged in Pulwama, and then a ‘surgical strike’ was claimed over Pak.. All we are sure is that India lost a plane and a pilot, 50 Indians were killed in Pulwama, and a helicopter crashed killing 10. Overall India lost 60, yet Hindus believed it was a victory over Pak.. and so voted for their chowkidar.
The second term (even after one year) is even worse than the first. The first 9 months were spent on CAA-NRC, and that led to civil protests. India was heading for civil war but was saved by Covid. Apart from using Covid as another opportunity to target Muslims, there was no healthcare plan. As a result, India has the second largest number of Covid cases (actually with the shoddy data keeping and data massaging, India is the world’s highest hit). A shoddily executed lock down led to misery for the migrant poor. And it put the economy in free fall. India’s economic contraction after Covid is the second highest in the world.
Finally, by repealing Article 370 and threatening China, the Chinese came and took land. The Hindu chowkidar kept quiet as a mouse. Now the Chinese force an arms race which India cannot afford.
In summary, the first term was a catalogue of disasters with no single citable achievement; the second term shows a bigger disaster.
In 1953, Nehru had said that unless Hindus changed their outlook, India was doomed. The Hindu outlook led to partition. He was afraid the India that was left would be broken further by Hindutva. That is what we see before our eyes. Khushwant Singh saw that in his book ‘The End of India’. It was written after seeing the BJP’s functioning in Gujarat.
There is stinking corruption in Hindu India. It is not any less after 2014.
It does not matter if either BJP or Congress rules a state you still have to pay bribes for your building plan approval, water connection, electric connection etc. Reality is your MLA, corporator, councillor, bureaucracy etc. wants to collect their taxes from the public. How else can political parties run? Note this unofficial tax is apart from the income tax, property tax and GST you pay to the governments.
I feel the purpose of religion is lost if it cannot improve the mind and culture of man in India. The political class is just a reflection of the public’s own morality.
You are entirely right. The cyncisim is depressing but true. The BJP cites it is fighting corruption to win votes, but it is the most corrupt as they use violence to gain and retain power. But due to polarisation, people accept it.
Hindutva Fascism really? Where it is? Tell me which country follows Hindutva fundamental ideology?
56+ Islamic Fascist countries are there but yeah librandus and Hinduphobic people like won’t see islamist. ???
My final message to all these Hindu fascists, it is not secularists, liberals and Muslims who are ruling the country for the last 6 years. The Hindu fascists in 6 years have a list of ruinous achievements :
Economy was shattered with demonetisation (It had been roaring under MMS). No liberal, secularist or Muslim was involved.
Covid handling showed the highest incompetence. India has the second highest number of cases; they are lying, India actually has the highest. Contraction of the economy is amongst the highest. India’s economy has been put in a death spiral from which it cannot recover.
India lost land to China without a murmur. Hindu chowkidar kept quiet.
Even Nepal is an enemy.
IMF says Bangladesh is set to overtake India.
Unliberal Hindus have misused social media to spread hate, and eventually the UAE and other countries were forced to throw some Hindus out. They have become aware that Hindus pose a problem.
CAA-NRC led to a civil war like situation and attracted ugly publicity for India, which impacts business.
Liberals, secularists and Muslims are not involved. India is heading for disinetgration – due to Hindu extremists. So get real. Indian liberals may have no strategy, but one cannot imply therefore they are to blame, and ignore the actual data in front of you.
The truth is the RSS never accepted India’s constitution or its flag. The author says the RSS has changed and are now into ‘Hindutva constitutionalism’. Ambedkar defined what that will be. He said in Hindu India, only Brahmins and cows will have human rights. That is what we see.
It has become fashionable to explain the rise of Hindu fascism is because liberals misunderstood the mood of the trampled Hindu majority. This article is in that vein, that liberals had been ignoring the Hindus. SG also writes along similar lines. The argument is that fascists are repeatedly winning elections, so can we reject them as fascists ?
The Hindutva thinking and justification is similar to the Nazi claims of the 1920s and 1930s. According to Hitler and his followers, Germany was winning world war I, but got stabbed in the back, by people who accepted surrender and reparations. Historian Eberhard Kolb describes the Nazi propaganda portrayed Germany’s first democratic govt. after WW I of the 1920s (the Weimar Republic), as “a morass of corruption, degeneracy, national humiliation, ruthless persecution of the honest ‘national opposition’—fourteen years of rule by Jews, Marxists, and ‘cultural Bolsheviks’, who had at last been swept away by the National Socialist movement under Hitler and the victory of the ‘national revolution’ of 1933”.
The German people bought into the ‘stab in the back’ propaganda and went with Hitler, the angry strongman who was going to re-win the world for Germany.
If you look at the current Hindutva propaganda, it is along similar lines. They have invented their own ‘stab in the back’ narrative of self pity. According to this, the corrupt British agents, Gandhi and Nehru, created national humiliation with partition, they persecuted the honest nationalist opposition (Golwalkar and Savarkar; they throw in Bose and Bhagat Singh for good measure), and this was followed by 70 years of rule by Muslims, cultural Maoists (aka urban Naxalies), Luytens liberals and Khan market gang, who have all been swept away by the Hindutva movement. Like Germans imagined Hitler was taking them to super stardom, Hindutva Hindus imagine Modi is taking Hindus to world stardom.
In the case of the Germans, in 12 years all their cities were destroyed to rubble by RAF and USAF air raids, and the Red Army crushed the Nazi army and took Berlin while the cowardly Fuhrer committed suicide. After that comprehensive defeat, the Germans could not say after World War 2 that they would have won if they had not been stabbed in the back.
Likewise, India will be setback after two terms of Modi, and Hindus cannot go on saying India did not come up because Nehru stabbed India in the back. In the case of the Germans, they could recognise their mistake an rebuild. In the case of India, I do not think the Hindus have the IQ and capability to restore India.
‘It must be understood that Hinduism is not a PROSELYTIZING religion hence is SECULAR as it does not get bothered by what others do. Nor it seeks to convert others.’
But it is very bothered that Dalits do not convert. They must be chained to their fetters.
HINDUS are interested in education and science and prosperity in current life and not after life.
Hindus are interested in both Science and also in after life. Hindus don’t believe in one true god or concept of false god. Hindus believe in simultaneous truth. Hindus believe principles are true within it’s boundaries, just like science believes.
The threat Hindus have is assorted semi-literate secularists, brainwashed into thinking like Muslims in true & false, black and white, trying to mislead them into nonsense of only one truth, their truth. In reality life is in multicolor and many shades of gray.
‘Hindus believe in simultaneous truth. ‘
You mean, you believe in ‘anything goes’, Caste system is tolerance. Fascism is nationalism. Lynching is patriotism. These are your simultaneous truths.
The real truth is Hindus like you cannot run a country. Sooner or later it will unravel.
Forget about welfare of Muslims, you are incapable of welfare of even Hindus..
The only questions is ‘are Hindu fascists capable of ruling India ?’
The evidence on show indicates they are not capable. They finished the economy. They got India into a situation where it lost land to China. India faces a two front war possibility. They have set in motion in dis-integrative forces. Minorities are protesting and civil war is possible – it was just put off by Covid.
Fascists have disintegrated countries without exception and India will not be any different.
Your evidence will convince Pakistan or ISIS, not genuine Indians.
Genuine Indians are for you only RSS Hindus. But Pakistan is always on your mind.
Cite to us evidence that Hindus are capable to run India. Hindus got India partitioned. Now it is 3 nations. Kashmir is fighting for independence, there is not one there who now thinks they are better off with India.
You yourself say the first 70 years was wasted. What has been achieved in the last 6 years since the start of true Hindu rule ?
Start with what happened to the 15 lakhs, the bullet train, swach bharat, ghar wapsie….Give us evidence with a report card of Hindu achievements…..
Hindus are unable to govern India, and that frustration has led to the BJP, which then goes on to prove Hindu incapability further ! Till you cite the evidence to the contrary, my view holds.
Despite notions of Hindus believing their religion is special, India is for all purposes a failed nation. Even Pakistan is a totally failed country but that does not concern us here.
All this stuff about Hindu-Muslim, Kashmir, Pakistan, China will carry on diverting our leaders in India from focussing on development for even next 50 years.
The whole country is screwed up. Millions and millions born here will never be able to reach their potential. They will be caught in the poverty trap. We are unable to manage and organise ourselves. About 5% of population ie the elites and upper classes will manage to get educated and continue living life a little better than the previous generation. Some of the these elites and upper class folks will also try to escape to the West but by and large most people will continue to eke out their life not much better than their parents for even next 50 years.
You are entirely correct.
Science doesn’t have beliefs. It is all based on evidence and proof. There is no such thing as a truth in science. Science can only say something is false. Science is open and dynamic to change previous understandings of Nature if anyone proves it.
Don’t even compare science with Hinduism. Water and oil do not mix.
Well pointed out. I shall remember it.
Good analysis. It is time Muslims start voting for liberal Muslims like Arif Khan, Syed Naqvi, Shahanwaz Khan.
There is no reason why Muslims should not join winning side. Hindu secularists have been taking them for ride for so long. Once they start voting BJP, BJP would have interest in keeping them voting for them. The way it stands now BJP has no motivation to court Muslims, as they know Muslims will not vote for them.
Other major advantage Muslims will get by voting for BJP is secularists parties will start courting them and not take their vote for granted.
Shah Nawaz Khan and Mohd Naqvi are not liberals.
Rise of Hidutva can be attributed to Islamic extremism and the refusal of moderate muslims in condemning violent acts of Islamic extremists.
Thank you for your explanation for rise of Hindutva. It is due to Muslims. It is like rise of Nazism was due to Jews.
Alright, now tell us what Hindutva has achieved – for Hindus. The economy has crashed, China has taken land and you cannot fight. The IMF reports that Bangladesh has higher growth and is set to overtake India in some parameters. Apart from your false Hindu pride, is there any tangible benefit Hindus got from Hindutva ?
Have you thought of why BJP rose from 2 LS seats to 200 in 12-14 years in the last two decades of last century? Shahabano case, asking all Indians to wake up to Azan, promoting Tajmahal as beauty of Indian architecture instead of more than 1500 year old Hindu, Jan, Buddhist temple architecture, giving a special status to Kashmir though the agreement between Kashmir King with India is exactly same as other princely states and so on. The list is long. As far as China is concerned, Congress kept on loosing ground to China even as late as 2013–1 and 4 could never confront China from 1962 till 2014. It has happened the first time under BJP. Though Congress won wars against Pakistan, all gains were frittered away during negotiations, be it Tashkent or Simla. For the first time , Indian forces have cross LOC and taken to war to enemy territory. As far as economy is concerned, it is always cyclical so you can pick up a year and say it is doing badly. Take 2013 in case of MMS.
‘promoting Tajmahal as beauty of Indian architecture instead of more than 1500 year old Hindu, Jan, Buddhist temple architecture’
You can promote Hindu, Jan, Buddhist temple architecture as much as you like but none would win a beauty contest. If you do not want Taj Mahal, hand it to Muslims, and ask them to look after it. When Trump and Melania came, why did you not take them to Khajurao instead of Taj ?
‘Kashmir though the agreement between Kashmir King with India is exactly same as other princely states and so on.’ You lie. In Jyderabad, the Nizam opted to be independent. If the decision is solely of the ruler and not the wishes of the subject, why did India do a police action ? You are duplicitous Hindu.
‘As far as China is concerned, Congress kept on loosing ground to China even as late as 2013–1 and 4 could never confront China from 1962 till 2014. It has happened the first time under BJP.’. Your English is poor, what is written is not clear. Congress could not confront China. It fought and lost. Modi said he is the chowkidar. When Xi visited Gujarat, the Chinese made incursions in Doklam. Still Modi touched Xi’s feet. In Galwan, India lost land and Modi kept quiet – which is worse, Congress or BJP ? To me, it appears the BJP is the proverbial Hindu coward.
For the first time , Indian forces have cross LOC and taken to war to enemy territory. Unfortunately, 50 killed in Pulwama, another 10 in a heliocpter, plane shot down and pilot captured. So what is the big achievement ?
‘As far as economy is concerned, it is always cyclical so you can pick up a year and say it is doing badly. ‘
Under MMS, the economy grew and did not go down even during 2008 financial crisis. Modi makes a mess with demonetisation and Covid and you say it is cyclical and international situation. Do you want a permanent excuse of ‘not responsible’ ?
Can you cite any tangible achievement ? Where is the bullet train ? Has corruption ended ? Where is the return of black momey from abroad ? 1 crore jobs per year ? Doubling of farmers income ? Where is Make in India, when manufacturing shows decline ?
All these developments in India (and the world at large) indicate that the middle ground is slipping and most people are only concerned with looking to occupy and extend their well-entrenched positions. In the Indian context, the liberals were ruling because Indians were keen on avoiding extremist positions and the minorities were more or less supportive of this moderate position. Now with the minorities turning to their own extremists, the liberals have no ground to stand on because everyone has moved to their own corners and no one wants to occupy the middle-ground. Obama can pontificate all he wants but extremist political positions amongst blacks and other minorities is growing in the US as evidenced by election of Ilhan Omar and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez et al. It will cause the same fissures in the Democratic Party which the Congress in India is experiencing. I would not be surprised if Biden ends up as a single term president. Anyways extremist position taking never ends well, if history is any guide. I must also say that apart from the title, the article is quite insipid and full of drivel.
Your argument is liberals are the cause for fascism. The white nationalists are rising because blacks are extremists. Hindus have become violent militants, but don’t blame then, plead diminished responsibility and say it is actually because of Muslims and liberals.
‘Anyways extremist position taking never ends well, if history is any guide. ‘
Is it the liberal position or the fascist mode that never ends well ? What did Nazi Germany teach you ?
Muslim majority countries can be Islamic and there is no problem. But others mine secular.
Muslims want secularism till they are a minority. When they are majority, they want only Sharia.
Now it seems, there is a problem with the Indian Constitution itself….. What else will these Left-Liberaties come up with to deny BJP political power/legitamacy??? It seems BJP & RSS is so much of an anathema to these folks, that they will show no qualms in denouncing the very constitution they were hailing till the other day… Talk of a U turn… what better example than this….
The author forgot to add that liberalism is quintessentially Hindu in nature. Also that the people of India, irrespective of their religious beliefs, are essentially Hindu.
That is why the Constitution of India resonates with liberal beliefs.
The problem began when liberals abandoned the Constitution in order to create separation on the basis of religion and caste. The liberal ideal was Yadavs ruling Bihar, Marathas ruling Maharashtra, Sikhs ruling Punjab, Muslims ruling Kashmir. The worst was that the liberals began supporting Muslim separatism in the name of justice to Muslims. This is not acceptable to the Constitution or to Indians. That is why the people of India have booted out those claiming to be liberals.
‘liberalism is quintessentially Hindu in nature’.
Yeah, right ! Caste system is also quintessentially Hindu but it is the worst illiberalism .
You proudly claim liberals have been booted out. What have you replaced them with ? You have put in place Fascist Hindu Neanderthals, cow vigilantes, rapists, lynchers and mob rioters.
Mr Shailesh: You pontificate:
“.. HINDUS are interested in education and science and prosperity in current life ..”
While that may have been the case in the past, it is no longer so in these BJP/RSS led Hindutva times.
Take for instance science and some of the most preposterous ideas that supposedly learned men thought leaders have gone about spreading:
– PM Modi believes that plastic surgery was conducted in ancient India as one was able to graft the head of an elephant to the torso of a man, ref: bit.ly/32TCcVS
– PM Modi claims that Karna was born by genetic engineering, ref: bit.ly/3ns6BCq
– Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G Nageswara Rao claims that Kauravas were test-tube babies born through stem cell research. This learned man claimed this in the Indian Science Congress of all places, ref: bit.ly/3nzXDmQ
– Captain Anand Bodas claims at the Indian Science Congress that ancient Indians indulged in inter-planetary travel, fulled by propellants made from ghee, gomutra nd other esoteric concoctions, ref: bit.ly/2IB9UIX
Indeed, many of these bizarre ideas are propagated by your Hindutva friends in the BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal, RSS and so on. And since Hindutva is now replacing Hinduism and many Hindus have started to believe in this nonsense, your claims about Hinduism and Hindus embracing science is indeed questionable.
ok but is anyone sitting idle ruminating about these. people can feel proud/or motivated/excited about it, but everyone knows that their food is out of working and moving forward. so just because someone is saying the society isnt going any backward, get out of the slavery mindset
Man you still struck in the past grow up. After Modi came to power more students applied for Higher studies . In USA and Canada we are the second in studies. Grow up and put you religion at home. What Modi is doing is balancing on both science and security.
They claim Talpade flew a plane in the 1890s. This was before the Wright brothers. Talpade’s fuel was a magical interaction of sunlight with mercury which created hydrogen. Asked if there are remains of the plane, they will tell you that the British took away the evidence.
In Gujarat school books, they teach the origin of white, brown and black people. They say God was baking human beings, in his first attempt, he underbaked, and got white people. In his next experiment, he over baked and got black people. Then he got the baking time right and got brown people.
If these jahils had come to power in 1947, India would not have had nuclear bomb or missile. It is only because of Nehru, we have these.
Mythology and history are the same in their eyes, and the constitution is only a nicety that can be ignored. When you have muscle power, what is there to fear ?
What a class hypocrite you guys are, (YOU GUYS)
Where u r in majority, fuck secularism and what the hell is constitution. Beta, u have got a match now, cry as much you want. Everything will be done as per loved and respected constitution
If there is Hindutva constitutionalism, then there is Islamic constitutionalism too.
Article is written by Islamic apologist who want to retain MINORITY APPEASEMENT of SECOND LARGEST RELIGION called ISLAM. Islam in India is not a minority as population of Muslims in India is larger than the TOTAL POPULATION of 95% nations in the world. Nazma heptuall rightly said abolish minority tag for Muslims and rightfully call them SECOND LARGESS MAJORITY. Appeasement of Muslims, is constitutional persecution of Hindus. Appeasement of Muslims is anti constitutional as constitution has no concept of minority. This writer wants to INVENT ways to discredit RSS due to his natural hatred for KAFIR organisation. He is nothing but above ground operative waging SIXTH GENERATION WARFARE on india by weakening its values , resolve, culture from within so that it can be taken over by the ISLAM eventually. Time to abolish minority ministry,, all appeasement and special entitlements to Muslims. A LAW TO PROTECT INDIAN ORIGIN RELIGION must be passed, we owe it to Indic religions and not to supremacist, predatory, conversion machinery Abrahmic religions. Make similar laws in India in favor of Indian religion which Muslims nations have in favor of Islam, laws to induce Ghar Wapsi, or get out of India. Be kind to Muslims by helping them to convert out of Islam.
Was is the definition of “liberal” and “progressive”? Which is that supreme council or who is the Supremo who declares a person as either or both or neighter?
Indian Muslims will cry for secularism & constitution only till Muslims achieve 50 percent growth in Muslim population, once Muslims achieve majority, they will mercilessly implement sharia Islamic law, secularism in India will stay , only as long as Hindus remains majority, simple truth , look at same Indian Muslims before 1947 and how they implemented Islamic laws in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kashmir.
Among the oldest institution on the national platform the RSS slowly occupied its space in the Indian political circle which raised many cadres in various segments of lives. Political success came late but with strong foundation of nationalism plus the religion card established in the last decades went well in the society to demonize the minority muslim’s as invaders and occupiers of Indian resources though were give two state after partition. Even during the congress let rule for decades RSS cadres were sleeplessly working day in and out at different level of government institutions. Implantation of these cadres payed the BJP well which emerged victorious after the demolition of the Iconic Babri Masjid. The numerous riots orchestrated by the evils of the society with political nexus payed well to gather a huge mass of electoral backup for the ruling BJP. Now its communal feel has formed a segment in the India political DNA which perhaps may not be dissolved so quickly. The congress on the other side lost the charisma within the muslim vote bank after openly keeping silent during and after the communal right which the community faced with loss of precious life and property. Alienation from government jobs and lack of education within the middle class created a conducive atmosphere for the AIMIM party led by Assaduddin Owaisi who flourished his ideology by cursing the congress for its negative roles during the sufferings of the community in different situation and circumstances. This added indirectly to the BJP votes in states which they newer went off well earlier. With the slow retrieve of Sonia Gandhi from the active political stage and emergence of Rahul Gandhi as head of the congress, things went down after encountering failure after failure in elections at national and state level. The infighting within the party and its ill discipline workers too damaged the party structure at its lowest level. The Sachin Pilot and Scindia episodes look too familiar towards the party whose youths were targeted by the erstwhile old representative relentless of siding after the debacles in the election results. Now the congress seems more vulnerable to bring down the might of Modi and Amit Shah whom it blamed for the Gujrat riots and other crimes committed before landing in Delhi. The Rahul Gandhi image already tarnished by the Modi calling him Pappu and finally the revelations from the autobiography of the former president Barak Obama took his back foot further spoiling the image buildup at centre for playing a strong opposition against the BJP. At times I recollect the words of Ram Madhav who clearly stated how the BJP cannot be set aside by any rule and law till 2045. Seems true.
This articles is camouflaged as intellectual piece but truth it is a political opinion.
When Indian and Pakistan were created, Muslims and non-muslims were lines on which partition happened and hence this cannot be wished away that people consider one political worldview of this author.
Author’s world view has to Muslim and non-Muslims. I believe hinduism is not religion unlike Islam – muslim brotherhood which is a religious and political concept. Where would hindus exist of not hindustan? Hinduism is inclusive hence it does not threaten non-hindus.
First 2 arguments of the author are fall flat.
Argument no.3 is again wrong, I can understand jews to minority but do not accept Muslims as minority. There is not one group which can be identified as Hindus as it is not religion but our cultural heritage which belongs to all Indian irrespective of religion. What’s wrong and religious groups like Jains, Jats, Marathas, Branhmins etc claim minority status if it is available for other religious groups.
Hinduism is inclusive hence it does not threaten non-hindus.
Yeah right ! Caste system is the best example of inclusiveness. Your self image is divorced from the reality.
Splitting hairs over verbiage
A stupid need not be argumentatively beaten by being more stupid. A benign neglect of these veterinarians is the best answer, Just neglect and pay no attention to stupid blabber..
Why is Art 370, a contentious issue?
Because the condition under which Kashmiris agreed to join India was based on the terms of Article 370. It is dishonourable and dishonest to tear up agreements unilaterally .
The constitution itself is good, but drifting away from constitution for appeasement of muslims by congress has made mockery of constitution,adding word secular in original constutional text when all the opposition were under arrest is biggest murder of soul of constitution by Indra Gandhi.Things like abolition of 370, inching towards uniform civil code is good for country and it will give strength to spirit of constitution
Well said
Good observations.
As far as the third point of yours is concerned, I find it a bit misleading. Indian constitution, in its wisdom did NOT define majority and minority at a national level, knowing well that minority and majority are a very context dependent concept.
The misleading part is the assumption that one community is forever a minority, regardless of the context. That assumption is unconstitutional in its spirit.
I feel the arguments of the author are twisted and colored by the lens he sees it through. Typically, what is good for the goose should be good for the gander too. Why cant Hindus be treated as minority where ever they are minority? When it correct to name non-hindus as minority in some regions, it is correct to name Hindus as minority in other regions where they are minority. Why cant hindus be victims? Law needs to be applied to all equally. Constitution also is a constitution for all. For Hindus, Muslims, christians and others.
Liberal left was assaulting hinduism all these years, and hindus are voting for BJP as that is the only party which understands their concerns, anxiousness and issues.
Liberal left should learn what secularism is by French president Macron, stop equating secualirsm with minority appeasement.
Thank you for explaining why Hindus are voting for fascists : ‘and hindus are voting for BJP as that is the only party which understands their concerns, anxiousness and issues.’
Can you explain what are Hindu concerns, anxiousness and issues ? Reservation ?
Also, explain why Hindus do not think as Indians and do not concern themselves about anxiousness and issues of all Indians.
The Germans also had anxiousness and issues which they thought Hitler understood and could solve. The result Hitler and the Nazi party gave was destruction of the country. What RSS is giving India is the same, and the outcome will be the same.
I suggest you engage your Hindu mind and have reality check about where Hindus are taking India. Does your anxiousness and issues of Hindus justify breaking up India ?
The last argument makes sense. If it is the state govts that deliver social goods of health and education, it is only fair to consider who constitutes minority state wise instead of at national level. It is the utter hypocrisy of the Left leaning loony liberals that has stopped that from happening. Protecting ones culture and tradition is a fundamentally guaranteed right under India’s constitution and in this regard ‘law and order’ function of the state is crucial. Hence again, declaring who are minorities at state level makes sense. It can’t be the case that minorities enjoy rights and privileges at national level where hindus lose out and even at the state level where they are minorities don’t get any benefits or protection. It looks conveniently tailored to suit leftist identity politics.
No person is born a religious fundamentalist or more specifically with a religion.
However if you pray continually multiple times a day and you are fed a religious scripture that idol worshippers is against your religion.
AND you are assured of GHAZWA E HIND.
Then any person can get angry of IDOL WORSHIPPERS and believe that the INDIAN CONSTITUTION is a stop gap arrangement till a religious scripture is made into a law.
HINDUS are interested in education and science and prosperity in current life and not after life.
It must be understood that Hinduism is not a PROSELYTIZING religion hence is SECULAR as it does not get bothered by what others do. Nor it seeks to convert others.
It is time that journalist better bring some modern scienctific views amongst their own rather than focusing on Hinduism which is progressive and scientific.
Even political Hinduism is focused on welfare.
WHEREAS political ISLAM as represented by examples of pakistan and turkey is enough to explain which thought needs changing its perspective.
we said
As for Turkey, its per capita income is way above India’s. Istanbul is comparable to a European city. India is on the way to slipping below Bangladesh.
Turkey was colonial power. It extracted wealth from Arabs countries, Balkans countries , Greece etc. One can not compare thief with law abiding citizen. as a matter of Turk himself is outsider who took away land & wealth from people of Asia Minor.
So Turkey should be compared with UK & France. It shows itself poorly in comparison to them in any field except Islamic fundamentalism.
Shailesh your saying ” HINDUS are interested in education and science and prosperity in current life and not after life.” is not true.
Hindus are interested in both Science and also in after life. Hindus don’t believe in one true god or concept of false god. Hindus believe in simultaneous truth. Hindus believe principles are true within it’s boundaries, just like science believes.
Like westerners Hindus have open mind. they don’t have true god/ false god syndrome. Once they get rid of assorted convent educated mediocre secularist monkeys off their back, they can rapidly catch up with advanced countries.
Unlike de-Christianized westerners, Indian Christians, & Muslims exhibit the same substandard intellectually restricted thinking that Hindu secularists exhibit.
So instead of ONLY ADVISING MUSLIMS to shun their backward thinking, you should ADVISE HINDUS TO SHUN SECULARIST HINDUS. Because poor company brings down one’s intellectual ability.
Of course as open minded people, We should give opportunity to everybody to explain his or her point of view but not blindly buy into their idea, particularly when you realize that they are trying to indoctrinate people with Nehru secularism, not western or French secularism, We should shun such people and lump them with jihadi fanatics.
‘Like westerners Hindus have open mind. they don’t have true god/ false god syndrome. Once they get rid of assorted convent educated mediocre secularist monkeys off their back, they can rapidly catch up with advanced countries.’
Do westerners have caste system, do they rape and march to support the rapists ?
As for Hindus not having true god/ false god syndrome, you are worse. You people claim a mythological figure was born at a particular spot inside a mosque ! Your whole life and politics revolves round Muslims. There is no one as primitive as you in the whole world.
Your attempt to equate yourself with west is just wishful thinking, it stems from an inferiority complex.
“You people claim a mythological figure was born at a particular spot inside a mosque ”
LOL. How about myth of an ignorant god who created the world some six thousand years ago,, but did not know how?
it is like Al Gore’s claim to have invented internet. your god is nothing more than one of 330 million Deva, equally large number Asuara, Yaksha and other supernatural. I believe that Mohammed was his prophet, if he did exist unless he was Mohammed’s figure of imagination, but he is no omnipotent nor omnipresent plus ignorant as world is billions of years old.