Abstract

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.

Highlights

  • Prime Minister Modi’s approach and strategy to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic has been universally acknowledged as a disaster

  • The above discussion highlights the differences between Hindutva or Hindu nationalism and Hindu populism in the manifestos of the most successful rightwing Indian parties

  • The article explores how Hinduism, an amorphous religion that was not suited for a role of “thick” ideology, was instrumentalized

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Summary

Introduction

Prime Minister Modi’s approach and strategy to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic has been universally acknowledged as a disaster. Many experts are blaming it on his populist politics and pointing as evidence to other populist leaders, such as Presidents Trump and Bolsonaro, who failed to manage the pandemic (Collinson 2021; Friedman 2021; Santoshini et al 2021) Others have criticized his Hindutva ideology, disregard for science and constitutionally ordained secularism and the othering of minorities that divided the nation instead of uniting it against the pandemic Hindutva and Hindu populism have been part of Modi’s success story from the start He is a man from a very humble background who dethroned the famed Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and their party, the Indian Nation Congress, which was the dominant political party in India for more than fifty years. There is a need to trace Hindu populism’s history in India and to distinguish it from Hindu nationalism

Religion and Populism
Hinduism’s Affinity with Populism?
History of Hindu Populism
Hindu Populism before Independence
Two Distinctions
Populist Political Parties and Populist Leaders
Hindutva Organizations
Methods
10. Hindu Populism and Hindu Nationalism of Rightwing Parties
11. Analysis of Party Manifestos
12. Conclusions
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