Hindutva

Topic: Recent Developments in Indian Politics: Coalitions, Mandal and a New Consensus · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 8 "Recent Developments in Indian Politics"

Meaning

Hindutva ("Hindu-ness") is the idea, set out by V.D. Savarkar in Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? (1923), that Indian nationhood rests on a shared Hindu culture and ancestry. He defined a Hindu in ethnic and cultural terms, not only by religion [5]. In this idea, a true Indian is one who sees India as both pitrubhu (fatherland) and punyabhu (holy land).

It matters because the BJP used Hindutva to mobilise voters after 1986. This helped the party grow from 2 Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to the centre of national politics. It also sits at the heart of today's debate on secularism and the Uniform Civil Code.

Explanation

What Savarkar meant

• Hindutva is not the same as Hinduism. Savarkar defined a Hindu in ethnic and cultural terms: anyone who shares ancestry and civilisational ties with the Indian subcontinent [5].
• Goal: this shared identity was to be the basis of a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation) [5].
• The two-part test of being Indian. An Indian is someone for whom India is both:
• pitrubhu: the fatherland, the land of one's ancestors, and

• punyabhu: the holy land, the land where one's religion was born.

• Who passes the test: people whose religions were born in India pass both parts. People whose holy places lie outside India (for example Muslims and Christians) pass only the first part.

The organisations behind it

• Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS): the cultural organisation most closely linked to Hindutva [5].
• Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), 1951: founded by Syama Prasad Mookerjee as the political wing of the RSS. It wanted India rebuilt on the lines of Hindu culture [6][7].
• Janata phase: after the Emergency (1975–77), the Jana Sangh merged into the Janata Party. That coalition broke up in 1979 [6].
• BJP, 1980: former Jana Sangh members formed the Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani [6][7].

How the BJP turned to Hindutva

• 1980 platform, "Gandhian socialism": this mixed three things:
• Gandhian ideas such as decentralisation (spreading power to villages and local bodies),
• socialist goals, and

• cultural nationalism (the idea that a nation is held together by a shared culture).

• 1984 setback: the BJP won only 2 seats. A sympathy wave after Indira Gandhi's assassination helped the Congress.

• The shift after 1986:
• The party put nationalism at the centre of its message.

• It used Hindutva to bring voters together for political action.

• Two triggers around 1986:

• Shah Bano and the 1986 Act: the Rajiv Gandhi government passed a law that cancelled the effect of a Supreme Court judgment. The BJP called this "appeasement", meaning special favours given to a minority to win its votes.

• Ayodhya: the locks at the disputed site in Ayodhya were opened.

• Palampur resolution (1989): the BJP's National Executive met at Palampur (Himachal Pradesh) and formally backed the Ram temple at Ayodhya. The temple movement became a central BJP plank (main issue).

The debate: support and criticism

• What supporters say:
• A strong nation needs one united national culture.

• In India, Hindutva supplies that culture.

• What critics say:

• It excludes people. The punyabhu test leaves out communities whose holy lands are outside India.
• It is majoritarian. The culture of the majority community becomes the culture of the nation.
• It clashes with Indian secularism. Under Indian secularism, the state keeps an equal, principled distance from all religions.

In the Constitution and practice

• No mention in the Constitution. Hindutva is a political idea, not a constitutional term. It is tested against these provisions:
• Preamble: India is a secular republic. The word was added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976.
• Article 14: equality before law.
• Article 15: no discrimination on grounds of religion, among others.
• Article 25: freedom of conscience and the right to practise and spread one's religion.

• Article 44 (a Directive Principle, which guides the state but cannot be enforced in court): the state shall try to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), meaning one set of civil laws for all citizens [4].

• In the courts: in 1995 election cases under the Representation of the People Act, the Supreme Court described Hindutva as a "way of life" rather than only a religion. This shows that the meaning of the term is still contested.

• In elections (BJP Lok Sabha seats):

1984	1989	1991	1996	1998	1999	2004	2009	2014	2019	2024
2	85	120	161	182	182	138	116	282	303	240

• 1989–1999: fast growth, but the BJP needed coalitions. In 1996 it was the single largest party, but its 13-day government fell. The NDA governments of 1998 and 1999 followed.
• 2014: 282 seats, the first single-party majority since 1984.

• 2024: 240 seats, below a majority. The BJP again depends on its NDA allies.

• Linked policy issues (the "appeasement" and personal-law debate that began in 1985–86):

• Shah Bano (1985): the Supreme Court granted maintenance to a divorced Muslim woman. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 cancelled the effect of that judgment.
• Shayara Bano (2017): a majority judgment set aside instant triple talaq as violating Article 14 [2].
• Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019: made instant triple talaq void and illegal [2][3].
• Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand, 2024 (Act No. 3 of 2024): the first state UCC passed after 1950. It does not apply to Scheduled Tribes [4].

Don't confuse with

• Hinduism: a religion. Hindutva is a political and cultural identity. Savarkar defined it by ancestry and culture, not by worship [5].
• Hindu Rashtra: the goal, a Hindu nation. Hindutva is the idea that is meant to form its basis [5].
• Gandhian socialism: the BJP's first platform in 1980. Hindutva became its mobilising idea only after 1986.
• Indian secularism: the state keeps an equal, principled distance from all religions and treats all citizens equally (Articles 14, 15, 25). Critics say Hindutva's pitrubhu–punyabhu test ranks citizens by where their religion was born.

Prelims Hooks

• Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? (1923) was written by V.D. Savarkar, not by Syama Prasad Mookerjee or Golwalkar [5].
• pitrubhu = fatherland. punyabhu = holy land. Exams often swap these two.
• Jana Sangh 1951 (Syama Prasad Mookerjee) → Janata Party after the Emergency → breaks up in 1979 → BJP 1980 (Vajpayee and Advani) [6][7].
• Trap: the BJP's first ideology was "Gandhian socialism", not Hindutva. It won only 2 seats in 1984.
• Palampur resolution (1989): the BJP formally backed the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
• 1995: the Supreme Court described Hindutva as a "way of life" in election cases under the Representation of the People Act.

Mains Points

• How the BJP rose (GS-I): the party moved from Gandhian socialism (1980) to Hindutva mobilisation (after 1986).
• Shah Bano, Ayodhya and anger over "appeasement" pushed this shift.

• Its growth from 2 to 182 seats through coalitions shows two things: the decline of the Congress system, and the rise of identity politics alongside Mandal.

• Hindutva and secularism (GS-I/II):

• For: cultural unity makes a nation strong.
• Against: a pitrubhu–punyabhu test excludes minorities and goes against equal citizenship under Articles 14, 15 and 25.

• Balanced answer: use the 1995 "way of life" view to show that the term is contested, then say that citizenship must not depend on religion.

• Agenda in a coalition era (GS-II): contested issues such as the UCC under Article 44 need wide agreement.

• The BJP's fall to 240 seats in 2024 brings back dependence on allies.
• Uttarakhand's exemption for Scheduled Tribes shows the tension between uniformity and diversity [4].
• Reform built on agreement lasts longer than reform that is imposed.

Related concepts

• Bharatiya Janata Party
• Gandhian socialism

Read more

• The BJP and Hindutva