What is Hindutva, the ideology of India’s ruling party?
It seeks to equate Indianness with Hinduism
IN INDIA NATIONAL elections are looming. Voters are expected to go to the polls in April and May. Narendra Modi, the prime minister, hopes to win a third term in office. To that end he has been playing up his religious devotion. On January 22nd Mr Modi inaugurated a new temple to Ram, in Ayodhya, a northern city believed by devotees to be that Hindu god’s birthplace. The temple was built on land previously occupied by a centuries-old mosque, which was torn down by a Hindu-nationalist mob in 1992. Addressing a crowd of supporters after the ceremony, which marked the unofficial start of his campaign for re-election, Mr Modi claimed the new construction was “not just a divine temple” but “a temple of India’s vision, philosophy and direction”. What did he mean?
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From the March 9th 2024 edition
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