this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2024
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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.

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[–] wjrii@lemmy.world 46 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

It's only a small percent of the population, and I can only go by what I see from my own in-laws on Facebook and in person, but I sense that Sikhs are becoming wary of Modi and the BJP. At first, "anything but Congress" seemed good enough, and they were thoroughly sick of the Gandhi/Nehru families. Manmohan Singh was a nice blip, but it seemed after his tenure Congress were back to business as usual. BJP makes a lot of the fact that Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are all part of the same faith tradition, so they are all "native" religions and not problematic. Given the other concerns, this was enough to want to give them a chance, especially partnered with a local conservative-leaning party in Punjab.

Now, after a decade of power, the bloom is off the rose (or the lotus, maybe). Modi's tendencies are more obviously authoritarian and his economic policies are very much geared towards big business and the biggest cities. Punjab is still very agrarian, and many Sikhs have been at the forefront of the farmers' protests in India. As support has eroded locally, the BJP's grip on national politics has strengthened, and you're basically seeing them re-create Khalistani terrorism out of thin air to have a scary label for frustrated farmers, mostly by going after fringe activists in India and the diaspora, in several cases carrying out extra-judicial assassinations on foreign soil.

Khalistani sympathies began a fairly quick and steep decline after Air India Flight 182 in 1985. Separatism was a relic of history in a pluralistic India, and the general sense I get is that while few Sikhs shed a tear for Indira Gandhi, it was all in the past. No one in my wife's family thought Khalistan was worth even a passing thought until Modi started turning off the entire internet in Punjab and shooting kooky uncles in Vancouver. If it becomes any sort of serious movement, it will largely be Modi's fault.

Then, with most of the "Fuck dem Muslims" items checked off the to-do list, you're beginning to see the more brazen Hindutva types start to bring out the old saw that not only is Sikhism part of the same religious tradition, it's not even distinct enough to be its own religion at all, but is just a provincial flavor of Hinduism. Devout Sikhs find this paternalistic and deeply offensive, and even less devout ones find it eye-rolling from the fringe but threatening coming from the mainstream.

[–] roguetrick@lemmy.world 15 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

It's only a matter of not having enough Muslims to persecute before they begin to correct the errant faiths in order to ensure a true measure of "hindu-ness". It's a dark path India is traveling and Modi, for all his murderousness, is not the end. He's a precursor.

[–] nikita@sh.itjust.works 7 points 6 months ago

Wow thank you for your super informative comment!

[–] Sagar@sopuli.xyz 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Which country do you belong to?

[–] wjrii@lemmy.world 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That's a fair question. I am an American of European descent (i.e. "a white guy") married into a half-Punjabi family with members in Punjab, New Delhi, the US, the UK, Canada, and elsewhere. I don't claim to relate anything other than what I've heard and read and my perspective is necessarily a limited one, but I have a vested interest in the Sikh diaspora and am generally troubled by the larger trends I see with BJP governance in India.

[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 39 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Every time I see an article on this prick I think, "Well this fucking sucks."

Anyway, this fucking sucks.

[–] chakan2@lemmy.world -1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (4 children)

Why? (I have no idea...I'm not up on Indian politics at all).

[–] CptEnder@lemmy.world 33 points 6 months ago (1 children)

He's a soft dictator effectively. Suppressed minorities from all over the country. Has elevated militant Hindu nationalism to politics. All while supplying Russia with fuel and arms during the embargo and pissing off both US and China by trying to have his cake and eat it too.

[–] chakan2@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Thanks for the explanation.

[–] spiderman@ani.social 5 points 6 months ago

His party has a hold of all the media and the celebrities (Indians idolize celebrities a lot). He feeds hate to hate groups (the only thing that still keeps him and his position) while safeguarding his party members in powers even though there are many of them who are convicted of rape and other serious violence cases. Their party likes to spread propaganda against Muslims, and more they secure their holding through elections more they make their states nazi little by little.

[–] steakmeoutt@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Man your post history is littered with “just asking questions” shenanigans.

[–] chakan2@lemmy.world -1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Probably...that was a legit question though. I have no opinion on India.

[–] steakmeoutt@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Sure, you’re just asking questions - biased, manipulative, on-your-knees-for-fascists questions.

[–] chakan2@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago

Who kicked your puppy today?

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 months ago

Oppression of minorities

[–] fossphi@lemm.ee 8 points 6 months ago

It's really fucked up. And from what I understand, this asshole (and his downright fascist party) has insane popular support in India. Add to it the rampant abuse of control over the media and the courts, it's getting really fucking scary

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This is the best summary I could come up with:


“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.

A few decades earlier, while Mahatma Gandhi preached Hindu-Muslim unity, the RSS advocated for transforming India — by force, if necessary — into a Hindu nation.

Modi’s spiritual and political upbringing from the RSS is the driving force, experts say, in everything he’s done as prime minister over the past 10 years, a period that has seen India become a global power and the world’s fifth-largest economy.

Born in 1950 to a lower-caste family, his first exposure to the RSS was through shakhas — local units — that induct boys by combining religious education with self-defense skills and games.

Today, the RSS has spawned a network of affiliated groups, from student and farmer unions to nonprofits and vigilante organizations often accused of violence.

In a nod to his Hinduism, he practices yoga in front of TV crews and the U.N., extols the virtues of a vegetarian diet, and preaches about reclaiming India’s glory.


The original article contains 1,265 words, the summary contains 193 words. Saved 85%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] AncientMariner@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

India was considered part of the BRIC rapidly developing economies long before modi. Feels weird to give him credit for what was inevitable.

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago

Booo... he needs to get out of power

[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world -3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

They guy is old. It will change. Hopefully less religion. I consider religion based government states as flyover regions. Thanks but no thanks you can keep it all to yourselves.

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

Modi is old but his party has strong support from young people in India.