Once a fringe Indian ideology, Hindu nationalism is now mainstream, thanks to Modi's decade in power

MicroWave@lemmy.world to World News@lemmy.world – 300 points –
Once a fringe Indian ideology, Hindu nationalism is now mainstream, thanks to Modi's decade in power
apnews.com

Hindu nationalism, once a fringe ideology in India, is now mainstream. Nobody has done more to advance this cause than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of India’s most beloved and polarizing political leaders. 

And no entity has had more influence on his political philosophy and ambitions than a paramilitary, right-wing group founded nearly a century ago and known as the RSS.

“We never imagined that we would get power in such a way,” said Ambalal Koshti, 76, who says he first brought Modi into the political wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in the late 1960s in their home state, Gujarat.

37

You are viewing a single comment

You are talking about the leader of Bharat and a billion people. I hope you do not misuse freedom of speech. Do you understand the ethics of a billion people?

I'm Indian and Hindu and I think Modi is a psycho despot who needs to be stopped. And I've thought that since he was in power. And I know quite a lot of Indians who feel exactly the same.

Just because he is the leader of 32% of a billion people doesn't give him a few pass to be a fascist dictator and a pussy. Man can't even entertain questions from his own party worker. Vanakam.

This is why the hindutva admire Israel. Unfortunately for you, calling me anti-indian because I call your politico-religious movement fascist is as effective as calling me antisemitic for calling the slaughter in Gaza a genocide on this platform.

8 more...