RSS as the Ideological Inheritor of Savarkar: Hindutva, Civilizational State, and the Politics of Hindu Rashtra

Abstract

This article examines the RSS and BJP as ideological inheritors of V. D. Savarkar’s Hindutva ideology, arguing that their policies and practices denote the practical implementation of his outline for a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation). Drawing on qualitative research based on library and archival sources, the study traces how Savarkar’s three central principles—India as an ancient Vedic civilization, the subordination or elimination of foreign ideologies such as Islam and Christianity, and the sacred-political ideal of Akhand Bharat (united/ undivided India)—have been integrated into the organizational structure and political schema of the RSS and BJP. The analysis highlights key policies and events, including the demolition of the Babri Mosque, the Ghar Wapsi (home coming) movement as a modern Shuddhi, the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC, the annulment of Article 370 in Kashmir, and the BJP’s rigid stance toward Pakistan, as evidence of Hindutva’s operationalization. The article seeks further to explore the impact on Muslim nationalism, showing how Hindutva policies sharpen Muslim identity and resistance domestically while reinforcing Pakistan’s ideological justification and Muslim solidarity internationally. By placing these developments within Savarkar’s ideological framework, the study seeks to answer the question: How have the RSS and BJP operationalized Savarkar’s Hindutva ideology in their organizational structure, domestic policies, and international stance, and what has been its impact on Muslim nationalism in India and abroad? The outcomes suggest that Hindutva functions as an ideological heirloom, inherited and enacted by the RSS and BJP, reshaping India’s national identity and shifting the geopolitics of South Asia.