Beyond othering

Abstract

Religion plays an important role in politics. The role has been exhibited by its ‘impact’ on electoral politics. In this explication, ascending (increasing role of religion) and descending (decreasing role of religion) methods become important tools for comprehending the status of religion in politics as to its profound and lesser impacts. The issue, however, is also to map out the formation of subjects which travel beyond ‘electoral politics’ to decide its outcome, as it is not only the electoral process that witnesses the role of religion but also the social and political processes that are impacted by this relationship. Gujarat has been witnessing the persistence of right-wing politics for a fairly long period of time and the state was even called the first laboratory of a successful Hindutva agenda. This chapter explains the process by way of ‘Hindu Political’. Besides and explanation of the contour of Hindu Political, the chapter focuses on its components like sects and dominant castes (identity as guardians; integration not by confrontation; and new identities as to new gods/goddesses), political communication (‘unabashed, unhesitant and unequivocal’ commitment), communicating opposition/political opposition (dominant vocabulary in place of vocabulary of political opposition) and dissenting masses/critical masses (non-conversion of dissenting masses into critical masses). In the end, the nature of the relationship between Hindu Political and electoral politics is underlined.