COMMUNAL HINDU POLITICS IN INDIA : FOREIGN POLlCY IMPLICATIONS

This article examines the rise of communal Hindu politics in India, particularly the growing influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the broader Hindutva movement, and analyzes its implications for India's foreign policy. The study traces the historical roots of Hindu nationalism and assesses the factors behind its significant political mobilization in the late 1980s and early 1990s, culminating in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. The research explores how this domestic political shift could impact India's relations with its neighbors, especially the Muslim-majority countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The paper argues that a foreign policy influenced by Hindutva ideology could lead to a more assertive and potentially confrontational posture in the region. The analysis concludes by assessing the potential long-term changes to India's traditionally secular and non-aligned foreign policy identity.

The early 1990s witnessed a seismic shift in Indian politics with the dramatic rise of the Hindu nationalist movement. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of this development and its profound implications for India's foreign policy. The study begins by exploring the core ideology of Hindutva and its political manifestation through the BJP. It charts the party's rise from a marginal political force to a major contender for national power, analyzing the key events and strategies, such as the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, that fueled its ascendancy. The core of the article is an examination of how this domestic ideological shift could reorient India's engagement with the world. It argues that a foreign policy driven by Hindu nationalism would likely lead to a more strained relationship with Pakistan, with the Kashmir dispute becoming even more ideologically charged. The paper also assesses the potential impact on relations with Bangladesh, raising concerns about the security of the Hindu minority in that country. Beyond South Asia, the study explores how a more assertive, Hindu-centric identity might affect India's relations with the Islamic world and its traditional leadership role in the Non-Aligned Movement. The findings suggest that the rise of communal politics posed a fundamental challenge to the secular and pluralistic principles that had underpinned India's foreign policy since independence, portending a more turbulent and conflict-prone future for the region.