India election 2024: Hindu nationalism is mainstream thanks to 10 years of PM Modi
AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Hindu nationalism, once a fringe ideology in India, is now mainstream. Nobody has done more to advance this cause than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of India’s most beloved and polarizing political leaders.
And no entity has had more influence on his political philosophy and ambitions than a paramilitary, right-wing group founded nearly a century ago and known as the RSS.
“We never imagined that we would get power in such a way,” said Ambalal Koshti, 76, who says he first brought Modi into the political wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in the late 1960s in their home state, Gujarat.
Modi was a teenager. Like other young men — and even boys — who joined, he would learn to march in formation, fight, meditate and protect their Hindu homeland.
A few decades earlier, while Mahatma Gandhi preached Hindu-Muslim unity, the RSS advocated for transforming India — by force, if necessary — into a Hindu nation. (A former RSS worker would fire three bullets into Gandhi’s chest in 1948, killing him months after India gained independence.)
Related articles
Kate Hudson hits the stage to debut songs from her new album Glorious at star
Kate Hudson looked like a pro as she performed songs from her new album Glorious for the first time.2024-05-21Surprise! Zendaya unveils SECOND red carpet look at Met Gala as she wows in corseted off
Zendaya unveiled a surprise second high-fashion look at the Met Gala on Monday.The actress, 27, who2024-05-21- NEW DELHI (AP) — Australia’s young Twenty20 batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk scored a whirlwind2024-05-21
Thiago Silva to return to Brazilian club Fluminense after leaving Chelsea at the end of the season
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Veteran defender Thiago Silva will return to Brazilian club Fluminense after l2024-05-21What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?
JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran’s president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran’2024-05-21Donald Trump moves much of his White House campaign to New York
NEW YORK (AP) — He’s visiting Manhattan construction sites, decrying local crime and holding court i2024-05-21
atest comment