Indian National Congress and the Co-constitution of Political Hinduism: A Historical Reassessment
Contributors
- Komal Khan Research Officer and Assistant Editor at the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI), Islamabad, Pakistan.
- Tooba Altaf Independent Researcher, Pakistan.
Abstract
Identity politics is not the exclusive preserve of conservative religious movements; secular institutions deploy it equally to secure their own rule. This article examines the historical relationship between the Indian National Congress and proponents of Saffron Political Hinduism, arguing that Congress’s alliances, rhetoric, and policy choices during the colonial and post-colonial periods contributed significantly to the rise of Hindu nationalism in India. Its short-term political gains from associations with Hindu revivalist organisations came at a long-term cost to Indian pluralism, contributing to communal violence, unstable secularism, and the mainstreaming of Hindutva as a governing ideology. The article explores the relationship between Congress and Sangh/Hindutva proponents, highlighting the party’s use of Hindu ideological symbolism and tolerance of violence involving Hindu hardline groups. It examines the ideological connections between swarajya and purna swarajya, arguing that both contributed, in different ways, to the development of Hindu Rashtra ideology. It analyses Congress’s use of language politics, particularly Hindi, to build political support through communal appeasement. The discussion considers the “Hindu Raj” that Congress sought to sustain through divide-and-rule policies, which also enabled radical Hindu ideologies to flourish within mainstream political Hinduism. Two case studies examine Congress’s accountability for communal violence in modern India, focusing on Gandhi’s assassination and the violence at Ayodhya. Finally, the article considers the enduring consequences of this political history, arguing that divide-and-rule strategies contributed to the construction of a Hindu state. It challenges conventional interpretations of the Two-Nation Theory by tracing Hindu nationalist origins to an ideological framework distinguishing between “Hindus and Others,” highlighting tensions between secular political claims and religious nationalism in India.
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Corresponding Author
Komal Khan
Research Officer and Assistant Editor at the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI), Islamabad, Pakistan.
Corresponding Author: [email protected]
