Qazi Mizan: Rahul Gandhi, who leads the Congress party, in a recently held campaign gathering has claimed that “Hinduism and Hindutva” are “different things” but the ideology of the BJP-RSS is engaged in spreading “hatred in India” with its creed. The BJP in response has claimed that the Congress leadership nurses a “pathological hatred” for Hinduism. Now the question is who represents Hinduism? Brahman Rahul Gandhi or Chaiwallah Modi? I am not qualified to answer this question, nor am I interested. My interest is to address the question of how the Hindutva ideology has become popular in India and what are its consequences.

Adivasi, Dalit, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and other anti-minority bashing developments in India have surprised many observers around the world. These observers do not seem to have expected this to happen to the “world’s largest democracy.” Why is this happening in a country that has a constitution, which guarantees individual rights? A response to this question demands some reflections on India’s history, particularly during the past century. India’s constitution is a gift from the Congress party but now the party seems to have become a victim of this constitution.

Why Hindutva ideology is challenging the nation now? Let us address this question

The question of the relationship between Hinduism and Hindutva has become relevant because the current ruling party has successfully twisted India’s history and culture. The government maintains many active propaganda sites to brush away such allegations. The Indian constitution and many modern Hindus reject the caste system, but the government-sponsored propaganda machinery is trying to brash aside some historical truth. On the caste system, for example, one site claims that “These classifications are a natural evolution from the nature of the principle energy from where our universe has evolved and the principle rule with which it has evolved.”

They claim that, the religious doctrine of Karma, which is the “belief that an individual’s place in life and the caste hierarchy is determined by their actions in their past life.” How many of them remember their past life? I can confidently suggest – none. Yet, surprisingly many educated Indians subscribe to such views. They discourage raising questions: One author says, “A lot of people are asked the question if they convert to Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma what caste they would be given?

Now in most cases, this question is actually a rhetoric question.” The author argues, “Sanatan Dharma or Hinduism is not purely a closed rules-based ideology but a purpose-based ideology. This means as long as you are living life to protect and nurture life on earth without being a barrier to natural evolution you are a Dharmic. Hinduism does not see evolution only from a physical state of survival and reproduction but from a complete state of physical and emotional evolution.” Is not the author fooling the readers? The author then concludes, “Welcome to Sanatan. Welcome to Hinduism. Welcome to Hindutva.”

Mob lynching, rape and another kind of abuses of religious minorities is now very common in India. Is Hinduism responsible for this? Historians of civilizational studies generally hold the view that religions have played the most pivotal role in all civilizations in history. Which religion does the Indian civilization follow? Hinduism? Sanatan Dharma? Brahmanism? Or, the Hindu reform movement ISKON?

India today is on the brink of a huge explosion and in today’s global village, this explosion will have an impact on everyone. The faster the world community notices this, is better for world peace.