The Colour of Saffron: The Road Taken by the Hindu Nationalism towards Illiberalism

Abstract

Placed in the middle of controversies, Narendra Modi’s rise to prominence sparked numerous reaction both inside India as well as on the international scene. His opponents, frequently reproach his authoritarianism and his links with an extreme brand of Hindu nationalism. On the other side, the plea of his supporters emphasize the new Prime minister’s managerial abilities brandished during his twelve years of governance in the state of Gujarat. This article tries to explain the electoral success of the incumbent chief of executive in India along with his party of allegiance- BJP. Here I argue that Modi’s triumph is largely explainable through a set of demographic, social, economic and cultural factors persistent throughout the world which also tell us the emergence of other illiberal strongman regimes in countries like: Hungary, Russia or Turkey. The conclusion draws a warning against the proliferation of aggressive ultranationalism and the reservoirs of intolerance it seems to harbor.

Keywords

• India
• secularism
• Hindu nationalism
• Narendra Modi