‘How could the RSS be considered part of the movement for Indian nationalism when it stands for Hindu nationalism?’
As India ushers in 73 years of independence from British colonial rule, it finds itself in the grip of a virulent politics that resembles the antithesis of its founding principles.
Yet during India’s anti-colonial struggle, many of Hindutva’s chief ideologues were openly anti-national, doing all they could to stifle and subvert the freedom movement at every phase. On March 18, 1999, then BJP prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee issued a postage stamp commemorating K.B. Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, as a freedom fighter., was an attempt “to pass off a pre-independence political trend represented by the RSS as a legacy of the anti-colonial struggle whereas in reality the RSS was never part of the anti-imperialist struggle.”
“Like the Brotherhood, the RSS subscribed to a religious-based majoritarianism and cultural revivalism. Both found the Nazi conception of nationalism appealing in terms of race and religion as opposed to the universal idea of citizenship,” said Rahman. The RSS did not have a monopoly on what could be termed ‘Hindu nationalism’ in contrast to the ‘secular nationalism’ of Gandhi or Jawaharlal Nehru. Founded more than a decade before the RSS, the Hindu Mahasabha remained the largest such organisation well into the 1950s before it got disbanded.
The challenge to the Hindu far-right’s vision of a post-colonial Hindu state was the inclusive character of the independence movement, which drew upon liberal notions of citizenship and discourses of nationhood not exclusively premised on race or religion. Hindu nationalists were hostile to the strategy. Savarkar criticised Gandhi’s idea of the nation as one that was territorially bound; his instead was an all-encompassing cultural nationalism for the “Hindu Race”.A former freedom fighter turned collaborator, Savarkar represents the starkest trajectory among Hindu nationalists during the anti-colonial struggle.addressed to the British he assured the colonial authorities of his conscientious conversion.
In 1942 Gandhi launched Quit India, a nation-wide civil disobedience movement, to which the British swiftly responded with over 100,000 arrests, including Gandhi. Prior to that, afrom the colonial government revealed that RSS leaders met the secretary of the home department and “promised the secretary to encourage members of the Sangh to join the civic guards in greater numbers”.
The ‘two-nation theory’, which purports that the differences between Hindu and Muslims of the subcontinent are irreconcilable and thus necessitated separate nations, is often associated with the Muslim League and its demand for Pakistan.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
It's right versus left as Americans clash with each other in several statesIn America, right wing groups and leftists are fighting in the streets, as years of systematic racism highlighted by months of anti-racism protests continues to show how divided the nation is
Weiterlesen »
Campus-based Thai protest movement extends reach to streetsAnti-government protesters gather in large numbers in Thailand’s capital, suggesting their movement’s strength may have extended beyond college campuses. Protest leaders have called for new elections and other reforms.
Weiterlesen »
Armed and on the Frontlines: Inside Zimbabwe's All-Female Anti-Poaching Army'Animals can’t speak, but I can stand up to save their lives.'
Weiterlesen »
Armed and on the Frontlines: Inside Zimbabwe\u2019s All-Female Anti-Poaching ArmyArmed and on the Frontlines: Inside Zimbabwe’s All-Female Anti-Poaching Army
Weiterlesen »
How QAnon rode the pandemic to new heights — and fueled the viral anti-mask phenomenonResearchers and experts say QAnon has emerged in recent months as a sort of centralized hub for conspiracy and alternative health communities.
Weiterlesen »
Thousands rally against South Korea leader despite virus warningThousands of anti-government protesters armed with umbrellas and raincoats have marched through the soggy streets of South Korea’s capital, ignoring official pleas to stay home amid a surge in coronavirus infections
Weiterlesen »