The Rise of Hindu Nationalism and the Debates on Secularism and Democracy in India

The beginning of this century has seen a paradigm shift in Indian politics-the BJP and the Hindu nationalists have emerged as a formidable force. This article analyses the origin and development of BJP as a Hindu nationalist right-wing political party, and how its rise along with Sang Parivar could be attributed as a threat to the founding pillars of secularism and minority rights in India. I content the growth of the BJP to the events related to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid movement. The scope of this article is to analyze secularism in the Indian context and how secular parties apply religion for electoral gains. The article focuses on the Neo-Hindutva since the ascent of Narendra Modi at the helm of national politics, Hindutva as a powerful tool of political participation and political mobilization, and its impact on India?s democracy.