In 1915 the Hindu Mahasabha (Hindu General Assembly) came into being, followed in 1925 by the elitist Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Union, or RSS), which is still the organizational and ideological backbone of Hindu nationalism today. The Bharatiya Janata Party, the political party of Hindu nationalism, was created in 1951 under the name of Bharatiya Jan Sangh (Indian People's Union); it was renamed in 1980. Other important Hindu national organizations include the Vishva Hindu Parishad (All-Hindu Council, founded in 1964) and its youth wing, Bajrang Dal (Bajrangs's Troop, founded in 1984). Together they form the
sangh parivar (Sanskrit term for RSS family
) and play different roles in a common strategy to create a Hindu India. Most BJP leaders are also members of the RSS.
Ideology
The Hindu national organizations all share a common ideology of cultural nationalism—the ideology of Hindutva, Hindu-ness. This ideology was expounded first by V. D. Savarkar (1883–1966) and later in a more radical form by M. S. Golwalkar, both Brahmans from Maharashtra. In his booklet Hindutva, published in 1923, Savarkar defined what makes an Indian a Hindu and what joins Indians together in a Hindu nation mainly in terms of opposition to others, that is, Muslims and Christians.
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