Mobilization of the BJP

The inception of the Hindu nationalist ideology was largely a result of India’s colonial history. While the movement was in many ways a reaction to the British presence, as well as the Christian missions that accompanied it, it had many aspects which were borrowed or inspired by the colonial rule itself. Concerned about the momentum of the Khilafat movement of the 1920’s, the hindu nationalists adopted strategies of stigmatization and emulation of groups that were perceived to be threats. Hindu nationalism remained active in India throughout the 1900’s, and was solidified by the publication of the Hindutva and were characterized by groups such as the Sang Parivar and the RSS. The success experienced by the BJP in the late 1990s can be explained by its effectiveness in creating coalitions, its strategies of gaining state-level support in contentious areas, and most prominently, the manipulation of ethno-religious vulnerability. All of these factors contributed mobilization of the hindu nationalist ideology, and the success, however brief, experienced by the BJP.

The success of the BJP in the 1980s and 1990s was largely due its ability to use a series of events to emphasize the vulnerability of the Hindu religion and identity, as well as its collaboration with the RSS and the VHP, which were integral to it’s mobilization and gaining of popular support. Events such as the Meenakshipuram conversions of 1981, where 300 low-caste Hindu families converted to Islam, caused anxiousness among many Hindus, and the Shah Bano case reinforced the perceived need for a homogeneously Hindu civil code. The RSS was able to utilize its old strategies of emulation and stigmatization to counter the internal threats posed by separatist sentiments amo...

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...he NDA, the INC proved itself adept at making new strategic alliances. With it’s focus on relevant social issues, “the INC emerged as the natural spokesman for the masses.” (2005, p. 249)

Jaffrelot concludes that the overall, the loss of popularity of the BJP can be explained by the lack of vulnerability of the Hindu identity and subsequent loss of interest in its nationalist agenda (which is not necessarily a movement toward secularism), and the weakness of its coalitions. Since ethno-religious mobilization has only been effective in India in times of unrest, the success of this type of aggressive strategy is largely reliant on the momentum of a driving issue such as building a temple in Ayodha. For years, the RSS has capitalized on the perceived threats to the Hindu majority; however, where no such fears exist, it is difficult to exploit them for political gain.