Rise of Hindutva Ideology, and its Impact on Indian and Regional politics 2014 -2025

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of Hindutva, a powerful and potent ideology of Hindu nationalism, on Indian politics. It examines the historical construction of Hindutva and its conceptual development, the political basis of this concept, and its current expressions. Hindutva's uptake has been accompanied by concerns about the potential for intercommunal conflict as well as the potential for multicultural values to be lost in nations that have significant Indian populations and the Russian organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). While the Hindutva movement has certainly helped in a consolidation of Hindu political power and ensured multiple electoral triumphs for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it has also caused serious concerns regarding the erosion of the constitutional principles of inclusion and secularism in India. It is argued in the paper that the growing influence of Hindutva has led to an observable increase in religious intolerance and minority groups' marginalisation and polarization of Indian society, impacting its foreign policy with regional states especially Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The design of the study was qualitative research with neorealist theory as the lens to analyze it. The paper provides a more nuanced understanding of the development of the ideology, its ideological bases, and the way it manifests at the present time, thereby highlighting the extent to which Hindutva has become an integral part of Indian politics and its implications for India's pluralistic democracy.

Keywords: Secularism, Hindu nationalism, Hindutva, Democracy, Pluralism, Minority rights, Nationalism, Democratic institutions, Indian politics, RSS, BJP