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The rise of the BJP as the major powerful political party in India has resulted from its strong campaign regarding the rhetoric of Hindutva or Hindu nationalism.
According to the 2011 census disclose that nearly 80% of the population are Hindus. After forming the majority, the BJP government pursued a sequence of extremist policies to spark Hindu nationalist sentiments. the result of the 2014 and 2019 general elections creates a wide discussion about the rise of right-wing, religious-based nationalism in India.
Nationalism changed over time in India.
Since 2014, Hindu nationalism has strongly grown and become the mainstream Ideology in India. When Narendra Modi became India’s Prime Minister from Bhartiya Janata Party on 14th May 2014, it was evident that India’s nationalism was about to take another course. Even though, before 2014, the Modi and BJP nationalist narratives were well known, and they involved meshing myth, pseudoscience, and science with political messages. It was just a matter of incorporating these narratives in transforming the country’s nationalist agenda. The form of nationalism propagated by Modi and the BJP has since found favour by bringing forward the idea of a country based on ancient civilisation in which philosophy, technology and science had flourished. Thus, the nationalism narrative has been anchored on the belief that India can be restored to its glory by linking it to its past.
Through the aid of the BJP party, Prime Minister Modi brought about narratives that have seen the state of nationalism change over time in India since he formed his government. He often referred to himself as a muscular nationalist, especially during the 2014 elections. Following his win as the prime minister, various radical changes have been witnessed regarding secularism in India. All the narratives propagated by Modi and his party aimed to bring about a sense of religious nationalism in India. Members of the BJP stated that Indian practices are tied to the Hindu culture.
Abandoned of secularism in India by the BJP
After achieving independence in 1947, the Indian National Congress Party (INC), believed in and adhering the concept of secularism which he narrowed down the concept by opposing the ideology of religious nationalism as a result, the INC started to lose its strong position in Indian politics since, the 1980s, because the concept of secularism had been pursued by the INC was faded away by the time. The ideology of Hindu nationalism started to gain its position again in India through the leaders of RSS. Mainly, the Bhartiya Janata Party successfully spread the influence among Hindus by supporting and promoting the concept of reconstruction of the Hindu temple (Ram Mandir) and India is a holy land and motherland for Hindus but not for other religions with the support of several other factors the BJP has won the 2014 and 2019 election. On the other hand, The Congress party believes in the idea of the cultural notion defined through values such as syncretism, pluralism, and tolerance, but BJP leaders have a different ideology of Hindu nationalism that founded on the belief that India is a Polity, of, for and by the majority belongs to the Hindu community, as well as convinced the citizens that Hindu nationalism is the only way the country can draw its identity, by which, Modi government has successfully influenced the Indian majority that secular nationalism is a fraudulent foreign imposition that is propagated by the elites, those are linked to the Congress party
In psychological terms
The rise of nationalism in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership can be linked to various forms of fantasies and ideologies. The Hindu nationalism propagated by the BJP has had its fair share of challenges and achievements. In which, the Indian state could re-think, restructure and reimagine through Hindu nationalism. Therefore, Fantasy and ideology have played a crucial role in India not only since 2014 when Modi became Prime Minister but also since the BJP tried to influence the citizens before the 2014 general elections through their nationalistic ideas.
The critique of ideology theory involves a technique applied in cultural, literary, and critical studies. BJP is founded on various ideologies such as free-market economics, self-reliance, strong national defence, conservative social policies, and nationalist agenda-driven foreign policy. The party seeks to transform India into an enlightened, progressive, and modern nation inspired by India’s old Indian values and culture. The party aim to foster national integrity, national unity, national strength, and national identity through national and individual character.
The major rise of nationalism in India under the leadership of Narendra Modi can use several political policies to increase the agenda of Hindu nationalism, nationally and internationally. Since the BJP party has the majority, it has influenced the sense of nationalism of most people through these ideologies and fantasies to influence the audience of India in its favour as a political strategy.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.