Religious Revivalism and Indian Security

On 28 May 2003, CCC Research Fellow Surinder Rana gave a presentation on "Religious Revivalism and its Implications for India's Security," at the World Affairs Council (WAC) of Northern California, San Francisco. The attendees included a diverse group of WAC members, students of political science and security studies. Rana argued that the recent Hindu-Muslim ideological dispute (Babri Masjid) and violence in Gujarat and other states are manifestations of a growing dominance of Hindu nationalism over Indian nationalism. He contended that the Hindu nationalists (Jan Sangh) polled only six percent of votes in the 1952 elections, whereas in the 1999 elections its new face BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) has increased this tally to 32 percent. According to Rana this political transformation has resulted from successive Indian nationalists (Congress and other center-leftists) dividing the electorate in the name of caste and religion, thereby enabling the Hindu nationalists to polarize the society on religious lines. He suggested that negative aspects of this religious nationalism have serious security implications for India.