WASHINGTON, DC – A detailed presentation at a South Asia policy forum has exposed the violent history and global spread of Hindutva, a right-wing political ideology based on Hindu supremacy. The speaker explained that Hindutva is not the same as Hinduism, which is an ancient and diverse religion. Hindutva, the speaker said, is a political project aimed at excluding minorities through violence and supremacy.
The ideology began with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who wrote Essentials of Hindutva in 1923. In the book, he said nothing unites a nation like conflict with a common enemy and pointed to Islam and Christianity as foreign faiths threatening Hindus. Two years later, in 1925, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was founded based on this thinking. Savarkar openly admired Nazism and fascism. In a speech, he said Hitler knows best what suits Germany and called these systems a magical wand that cured nations by removing minorities.
M.S. Golwalkar, the second RSS chief, was even clearer. He wrote that foreign races in India must adopt Hindu culture, language, and religion fully, respect only Hindu beliefs, and have no rights or privileges. Minorities, he said, must be completely subordinated to the Hindu nation and deserve no citizens’ rights.
The RSS has been banned several times in India for violence. The first ban came in 1948 after Nathuram Godse, a former RSS member, assassinated Mahatma Gandhi for supporting Muslims. Savarkar was accused in the conspiracy. Godse said in court that history would one day see his act as valuable. The RSS later formed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), now India’s ruling party under Narendra Modi.
In India since 2019, the situation for minorities has worsened. Muslims face illegal deportations to Bangladesh, genocide calls from elected officials, and bulldozers destroying their homes, shops, and mosques as punishment. Historic mosques are attacked. Laws in several states make interfaith marriages, especially between Hindu women and Muslim men, nearly impossible. Sikhs, Christians, and Dalits are also targeted. In Assam, citizenship rights are stripped, families are separated, and people are pushed across the border, often violently.
The speaker stressed that Hindutva is not Hinduism. Savarkar himself wrote that Hinduism is only a derivative of Hindutva. A progressive Hindu group said Hindutva is a majoritarian vision no different from white supremacy.
In the United States, the RSS has created many groups that support Modi, the BJP, and Hindutva. These include the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (American wing of RSS), Vishva Hindu Parishad of America (linked to a militant group in India), Sewa International, Ekal Vidyalaya, and others. Many tie back to the RSS. In America, they present themselves as cultural, educational, or human rights organizations. They repackage Hindutva ideas as anti-racist or decolonial to hide the supremacy.
They use wedge politics to separate themselves from other minorities. One quote said Indians skip the ghetto stage common to most immigrant stories. Another leader called Islam violent and aiming for global rule under the Islamic crescent. They align with assimilated groups like Italian or Irish Americans but attack Muslim Americans, Sikhs, Dalits, and progressive Hindus. They push the model minority myth, saying they are the good immigrants who contribute, unlike others.
When criticized, they claim it is Hindu-phobia or bias against Hinduism. They frame anti-conversion laws as protecting Hindus from predators. The 1992 demolition of Babri Masjid and Modi’s new Ram Temple on the site are called decolonization.
In 2022, a New Jersey parade featured a bulldozer decorated with Modi and Yogi Adityanath photos. Bulldozers in India destroy Muslim properties. The groups spread anti-Muslim hate and work with figures like Robert Spencer and Amy Mek. They oppose civil rights protections for Muslims, Sikhs, and against caste discrimination.
They harass critics with lawsuits, social media campaigns, death threats, and sexual assault threats. The Hindu American Foundation sued California’s Civil Rights Department over caste discrimination rules.
Hindutva groups ally with the global far right. In 2024, RSS leader Ram Madhav spoke at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, DC, to far-right leaders from the US, UK, Israel, and France. He spoke of defeating a leftist-Marxist-Islamist cabal in India. Modi shared a stage with Trump in 2019 at Howdy Modi in Texas with 50,000 people. The Republican Hindu Coalition made Steve Bannon co-chair in 2019. The RSS recently hired US lobbyists for congressional influence.
The speaker said Hindutva is not just an India or foreign policy issue. It threatens American democracy, pluralism, and all who oppose rising fascism. Resources include the CSR report on Hindutva in America, the Hindutva Harassment Field Manual by South Asia Scholar Activist Collective, and SEA coalition reports.
The next speaker discussed South Asia’s syncretic traditions where Hindus and Muslims celebrate each other’s festivals. Hindutva tries to rewrite this shared history.
The SEA coalition unites groups like Muslims, Hindus for Human Rights, Ambedkar King Study Circle, Dalit Solidarity Forum, India Civil Watch International, Sikh American Legal Defense Fund, and Sikh Coalition. They produce reports on groups like VHPA and Hindu American Foundation. They supported California bills SB 403 (ban caste discrimination in employment) and SB 509 (against transnational repression). Both passed the legislature but were vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom due to Hindutva lobbying. A Massachusetts donor bragged about influencing the veto. The groups spread fear and lies about the bills.
The speaker said vetoing these makes California less equal and safe for everyone. Newsom criticizes Trump but follows Hindutva supporters who back Trump. The coalition shows that uniting against Hindutva leads to wins.
