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Nationalism and Political Violence in India Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive DSpace Repository Theses and Dissertations 1. Thesis and Dissertation Collection, all items 2018-06 NATIONALISM AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN INDIA Qureshi, Faisal Shurjeel Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/59569 Downloaded from NPS Archive: Calhoun NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS NATIONALISM AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN INDIA by Faisal Shurjeel Qureshi June 2018 Thesis Advisor: Tristan J. Mabry Second Reader: Carolyn C. Halladay Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Form Approved OMB REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED (Leave blank) June 2018 Master's thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS NATIONALISM AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN INDIA 6. AUTHOR(S) Faisal Shurjeel Qureshi 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND 10. SPONSORING / ADDRESS(ES) MONITORING AGENCY N/A REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) India is considered the largest liberal democracy in the world. It is home to a widely celebrated secular national identity despite its ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity. This distinction sets India apart as a successful role model for heterogeneous developing countries transitioning to democracy. This impression is, however, tempered by persistent communal violence dating to Indian independence from the British rule in 1947. Over the last few decades, this group violence, particularly between the religious majority and minorities, appears to have increased. The rise in communal violence has coincided with the ascendance of Hindu nationalists in Indian politics, thus raising questions about their connection with this trend. This thesis analyzes the role of Hindu nationalist organizations and their ideology in promoting political violence in India. It contrasts primordialist and instrumentalist arguments and, based on a range of evidence, finds support for the instrumentalist argument that Hindu nationalist organizations deliberately promote communal violence in India to build support among their base and advance their political interests. The outcome of this analysis will assist in the study of domestic communal violence in India and the implications of this violence for India’s secular national identity as a heterogeneous country. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF RSS, BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Mahasabha, Arya Samaj, Hindu Nationalism, political PAGES violence, communalism, Gujarat violence, Love Jehad, Ghar Wapsi 91 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. NATIONALISM AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN INDIA Faisal Shurjeel Qureshi Lieutenant Colonel, Pakistan Army BS, Pakistan Military Academy, 1997 MSc, Balochistan University, Quetta, Pakistan, 2010 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (COMBATING TERRORISM: POLICY AND STRATEGY) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL June 2018 Approved by: Tristan J. Mabry Advisor Carolyn C. Halladay Second Reader Mohammed M. Hafez Chair, Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT India is considered the largest liberal democracy in the world. It is home to a widely celebrated secular national identity despite its ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity. This distinction sets India apart as a successful role model for heterogeneous developing countries transitioning to democracy. This impression is, however, tempered by persistent communal violence dating to Indian independence from the British rule in 1947. Over the last few decades, this group violence, particularly between the religious majority and minorities, appears to have increased. The rise in communal violence has coincided with the ascendance of Hindu nationalists in Indian politics, thus raising questions about their connection with this trend. This thesis analyzes the role of Hindu nationalist organizations and their ideology in promoting political violence in India. It contrasts primordialist and instrumentalist arguments and, based on a range of evidence, finds support for the instrumentalist argument that Hindu nationalist organizations deliberately promote communal violence in India to build support among their base and advance their political interests. The outcome of this analysis will assist in the study of domestic communal violence in India and the implications of this violence for India’s secular national identity as a heterogeneous country. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................1 A. MAJOR RESEARCH QUESTION..........................................................1 B. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION ...........................1 C. LITERATURE REVIEW .........................................................................2 1. Political Violence ............................................................................2 2. Nationalist Violence .......................................................................5 3. Nationalism and Political Violence in India ................................6 D. POTENTIAL EXPLANATIONS AND HYPOTHESES .....................10 E. RESEARCH DESIGN .............................................................................11 F. THESIS OVERVIEW .............................................................................11 II. HISTORY OF THE RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH (RSS) ........13 A. HINDUTVA ..............................................................................................14 B. EVOLUTION OF THE HINDU NATIONALISM ...............................15 1. Initial Roots of the Hindu Rightwing .........................................15 2. The Arya Samaj ...........................................................................17 3. The All-India Hindu Mahasabha ...............................................18 C. RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH ...........................................21 1. The Development of the RSS ......................................................22 2. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Indian Independence ................................................................................24 3. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Today ......................................26 III. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH (RSS) AND BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY (BJP) ........................29 A. THE RSS AND DEMOCRATIC POLITICS ........................................29 B. THE BHARATIYA JANA SANGH .......................................................30 C. THE BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY ..................................................33 1. Initial Phase of the BJP ...............................................................33 2. The BJP and the Upper versus Lower Castes Issue .................36 3. The BJP in Power.........................................................................39 D. THE BJP WITH/WITHOUT THE SANGH PARIVAR .....................42 IV. THE RASHTRIYA SWAYASEVAK SANGH AND VIOLENCE .................45 A. THE RSS AND POLITICS OF REVENGE ..........................................45 B. RSS AND POLITICS OF SELF-DEFENSE .........................................47 1. Threat of Terrorism .....................................................................48 vii 2. Threat of Religious Conversion ..................................................49 3. Threat of Muslim Over-Population ............................................51 C. THE RSS AND COMMUNAL VIOLENCE .........................................52 D. RSS: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE .......................................................................55 1. Advantages of Political Violence .................................................55 2. Disadvantages of Political Violence ............................................57 V. ANALYSIS, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS ..................................59 A. FROM HINDUTVA TO SANGH
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