Nationalism And Emergence Of BJP In India: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

India is considered as new emerging great power in international politics that has significant implications for the world’s great powers. It is also considered as great regional power in Asia particularly in South Asia because of its exceptional economic, military and cultural power around the world. After its independence from British colonial rule in 1947, India emerged as secular state based on the notion of secular democracy around the country as well as the largest democratic country in the world. Under the leadership of Nehru, the national congress formed the government of India for the first time and started dominating the Indian political system. After that Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as political party in the late 1980s and BJP became one of the dominant political parties by the year of 1999 in Indian politics and formed BJP-led coalition government with other Hindu nationalist groups along with the support of Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) based on the concept of Hindu nationalism for making India as Hindu State. In the general election of 2014, BJP came into the power brilliantly obtaining the majority seats where congress lost in the election poorly. Finally, BJP came to the power again in the general election of 2019 under the leadership of Narendra Modi. In this context, the paper tries to seek two key questions. First, how does Hindu nationalism instrumental to the rise of BJP? Second, what are the tactics that have been taken by BJP to foster their support in Indian politics?