The Jana Sangh


Book Description

First detailed study of India's fastest growing political party.




Hindu Nationalism and Indian Politics


Book Description

This book presents a comprehensive and perceptive study of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh through the first two decades of its history from 1951. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh was the most robust of the first generation of Hindu nationalist parties in modern Indian politics and Bruce Graham examines why the party failed to establish itself as the party of the numerically dominant Hindu community. The author explains the relatively limited appeal of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in terms of the restrictive scope of its founding doctrines; the limitations of its leadership and organization; its failure to build up a secure base of social and economic interests; and its difficulty in finding issues which would create support for its particular brand of Hindu nationalism. Bruce Graham ends with a major survey of the party's electoral fortunes at national, state and local levels.




Electoral Politics and Hindu Nationalism in India


Book Description

This book analyses the rise and growth of the Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Jana Sangh in post independent India, tracking the electoral journey of the party from 1951 to 1971. Offering a comprehensive analysis of the party Bharatiya Jana Sangh - its origin, ideas and electoral performances in the first two decades of its journey - the book provides an overview of the state-wise electoral record of the party mobilizing Hindu support and managing factional disputes. It surveys the issues of conflicts between the intraparty factions dominated by the recruits from the Rastriya Swayamseyak Sangh and the others. The author also presents a critique of the Hindutva politics of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh on account of its somewhat imperfect appeal among the masses and its problems in raising real issues of socio-economic concern. With a special emphasis on the states situated outside the Hindi language belt of Northern India, the electoral outcome of the Jana Sangh during each national and state legislative elections are analysed. Based on the dialectics of ideology and exigency, this book makes a thorough investigation of the leadership-succession crises in the party, patterns of vote sharing at the regional level and trends of coalition with the non-Congress parties in the states. Providing a nuanced understanding of the processes leading to the strengthening of right-wing political parties in India, the book will be of interest to academics working in the fields of nationalism, party politics and South Asian Politics.




The Saffron Tide


Book Description

A comprehensive, unbiased and timely biography of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The counting of votes in the general elections of 2014 began on the morning of 16 May. By mid-day, the Bharatiya Janata Party stormed into power with a full majority in the Lok Sabha, the only other party after the Congress in 1984 to have received such a resounding mandate. The BJP traces its origins to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, originally set up by Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1951 to take up the cause of Bengali Hindus in erstwhile East Pakistan. A bit player in Indian politics, the Jana Sangh only entered the big league after it forged an alliance with several other players to form the Janata Party and take on Indira Gandhi in 1977. This coalition broke up in 1980 and it was then that the BJP emerged in its present avatar. Today, the party has a pan-Indian presence with a devoted base, not just within the country but also among the Hindu diaspora worldwide. However, the BJP's remarkable rise has not been without struggle. It was only in 1998 nearly two decades after its founding that the party first tasted power. Voted out in 2004, the BJP sat in the Opposition for a decade before taking up the reins again in 2004. And, while the BJP, since its inception, has presented a popular democratic alternative to the Congress, it has struggled to shed its image of being overtly wedded to the pro-Hindutva agenda. In The Saffron Tide, a timely biography of the BJP, Kingshuk Nag traces the history of the party of India and crystal-gazes to estimate the course that it will chart for itself in the coming years. Balanced, informative and thought-provoking, this volume will be indispensable for anyone interested in the political history of post-Independence India. Key Features: Written by an author and political journalist with years of experience under his belt, this book will be the most current and first comprehensive biography of the party since The Brotherhood in Saffron by Walter Anderson and Shridhar Damle that was released in 1988. It is extremely timely, keeping in mind the general elections. The forward-looking epilogue has been written after the results were declared and this is the first book in the market that talks about the aftermath of the result. In a completely unbiased manner, Kingshuk Nag traces the BJP's rise in a book that will be read by all those interested in the party's philosophy, its origins and its future.




The Rise of the BJP


Book Description

The Bharatiya Janata Party is an idea that was seeded into the minds of nationalist Jana Sangh leaders when they began to envision India after Independence. Much like the very core the freedom struggle was built on, they saw India as a demographically, culturally and historically cohesive and unified nation - as Bharat. In this book, senior BJP leader and cabinet minister Bhupender Yadav and leading economist Ila Patnaik come together to trace the BJP's journey from its humble roots, through ups and downs and to eventually getting 303 seats in Lok Sabha in 2019 and becoming the world's largest political party. While focusing on the larger economics and political story, the book encapsulates many smaller, yet hugely significant stories of individuals and incidents, which brought the BJP to where it stands now. For the first time ever, The Rise of the BJP, tells us the inside story of how one of the most powerful political parties makes decisions, implements ideas and executes policy. Meticulously researched and immensely readable, the book shows us how the BJP fought competing ideologies, political assaults and catapulted to the centre stage of national politics.




Why Jana Sangh?


Book Description




The RSS and the BJP


Book Description

The fascist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, through its political arm, the BJP, is now at the centre of Indian politics. This poses a grave danger to Indian democracy and secularism. What was the role of the Hindutva forces in the struggle against the British? What links did Gandhiji's killer Nathuram Godse have with the RSS? How did the political arm of the RSS, the Jan Sangh, and its later incarnation, BJP, come into being? What actually happened on that fateful day of Dec. 6, 1992? What are the current agendas of the RSS? What does the elevation of the hardliner Sudarshan to the post of the Sarsanghchalak of the RSS mean? Marshalling a wealth of factual and archival detail, eminent lawyer and political commentator A.G. Noorani answers these and a host of other questions in his characteristically forthright and hard hitting style. Reprinted and updated til Feb. 2001.




Hindu Nationalism


Book Description

Hindu nationalism came to world attention in 1998, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won national elections in India. Although the BJP was defeated nationally in 2004, it continues to govern large Indian states, and the movement it represents remains a major force in the world's largest democracy. This book presents the thought of the founding fathers and key intellectual leaders of Hindu nationalism from the time of the British Raj, through the independence period, to the present. Spanning more than 130 years of Indian history and including the writings of both famous and unknown ideologues, this reader reveals how the "Hindutuva" movement approaches key issues of Indian politics. Covering such important topics as secularism, religious conversion, relations with Muslims, education, and Hindu identity in the growing diaspora, this reader will be indispensable for anyone wishing to understand contemporary Indian politics, society, culture, or history.




The Saffron Wave


Book Description

The rise of strong nationalist and religious movements in postcolonial and newly democratic countries alarms many Western observers. In The Saffron Wave, Thomas Hansen turns our attention to recent events in the world's largest democracy, India. Here he analyzes Indian receptivity to the right-wing Hindu nationalist party and its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which claims to create a polity based on "ancient" Hindu culture. Rather than interpreting Hindu nationalism as a mainly religious phenomenon, or a strictly political movement, Hansen places the BJP within the context of the larger transformations of democratic governance in India. Hansen demonstrates that democratic transformation has enabled such developments as political mobilization among the lower castes and civil protections for religious minorities. Against this backdrop, the Hindu nationalist movement has successfully articulated the anxieties and desires of the large and amorphous Indian middle class. A form of conservative populism, the movement has attracted not only privileged groups fearing encroachment on their dominant positions but also "plebeian" and impoverished groups seeking recognition around a majoritarian rhetoric of cultural pride, order, and national strength. Combining political theory, ethnographic material, and sensitivity to colonial and postcolonial history, The Saffron Wave offers fresh insights into Indian politics and, by focusing on the links between democracy and ethnic majoritarianism, advances our understanding of democracy in the postcolonial world.




Rss-Bjp Symbiosis


Book Description

The relationship between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh a cultural organisation and the political parties—Bharatiya Jana Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party is unique in the history of Indian polity. Because of the shared ideology and cadre; the inner working and the interpersonal relationships have been a matter of surmise and conjecture. It has become more so now when the BJP has got an absolute majority to become the ruling party at the centre. With an unbroken relationship stretching from 1951 onwards; it is the informal weave of brotherhood that has made it a successful operation. This book depicts the history; foundation and development of this relationship and how this symbiosis has played out over the years. RSS-BJP SYMBIOSIS by SUCHITRA KULKARNI: This book likely explores the intricate relationship between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Indian politics. Suchitra Kulkarni may delve into the historical, ideological, and political aspects of this symbiotic relationship, providing insights into the influence of the RSS on the BJP and Indian governance. Key Aspects of the Book "RSS-BJP SYMBIOSIS": Political Dynamics: Explores the dynamics between the RSS and BJP in the context of Indian politics. Historical Perspective: Offers insights into the historical evolution and ideological alignment of these organizations. Suchitra Kulkarni likely delves into the complex relationship between the RSS and BJP in "RSS-BJP SYMBIOSIS." This book provides a deeper understanding of their influence on Indian politics.