The Saffron Tiger: The Rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Hi readers,
I made a pretty short post a while back on a Hindu nationalist takeover in India, but I felt like it was a little short and kinda depended on a bit of handwavium. So I thought I'd write this post as a substitute, which will flesh the whole thing out a bit more.
For information about India in the 1940s and '50s:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=9820157&postcount=203
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The rise of Hindu nationalism in India gave birth to the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ("National Patriotic Organisation", RSS). Founded on the Hindu festival of
Vijayadashami on 27th February 1925 as a social organisation for the betterment of the Hindu community and the upholding of the values of Indian civilisation, the group has since expanded into a mass movement and has developed a political party appendage through which it rules the gargantuan nation. Drawing inspiration from the fascist movements sweeping European nations such as Italy and Germany, the RSS established a paramilitary wing, the
Bajrang Dal. Whilst the RSS openly admired Adolf Hitler during WWII, especially with regard to his ideas of "race purity", they (along with the similar, but older,
Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha movement) refused to join the "Quit India" movement commenced by the Indian National Congress. The RSS also cooperated with the British when they placed a ban on military drills and use of uniforms in non-official organisations on April 29th 1943. By doing so, they avoided the repressive measures imposed on independence groups such as the Indian National Congress (INC).
A typical poster of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
In the early years of Indian independence, the
Sangh experienced several bans, both regional and nationwide. The first was imposed on Punjab province on 24th January 1947 by the local premier of the ruling Unionist Party, Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana. The Unionist Party represented the landed gentry of Punjab, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu. Even Hindu parties occasionally opposed the
Sangh, particularly its denunciation of the caste system and a view towards uplifting the
dalit (untouchable) class. This ban was lifted on January 28th, a mere four days later, by the judiciary. A more serious ban was placed upon the organisation in 1948 after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by
Sangh member Nathuram Godse. This ban was overturned in July 1949, with the courts finding that there was no evidence that the RSS leadership was at all involved in Gandhi's assassination. The
Sangh had, however, always butted heads with the INC government over the consitution of India. The RSS didn't recognise the constitution's legitimacy, criticising it for omitting any mention of "Manu's Laws" from the ancient Hindu text the
Manu Smriti.
Despite a lacklustre level of commitment to the anti-British struggle and opposition to the national constitution, the RSS did emphasise the need for unity of Indian Hindus, forming a coalition in April 1954 with the National Movement Liberation Organisation (NMLO) and the
Azad Gomantak Dal groups for the annexation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Portuguese enclaves on the subcontinent. On July 21st, the United Front of Goans, another group working autonomously, captured the Portuguese police station and declared Dadra independent. A week later, volunteer teams of the RSS and the
Azad Gomantak Dal captured the territories of Naroli and Phiparia, including the capital Vila de Paço d'Arcos (since renamed Silvassa). Portuguese forces which escaped and moved towards Nagar Haveli were assaulted at Khandvel and were forced to retreat until they surrendered to the Indian border police at Udava on 11th August 1954. A native administration was set up with Appasaheb Karmalkar of NMLO as the chief administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli on the same day.
In 1955,
Sangh leaders, swelled from the easy success of the reintegration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, demanded an end to Portuguese control of Goa, the primate city of Portuguese India. When Prime Minister Nehru refused to provide and armed intervention,
Sangh leader Jagannath Rao Joshi led a
satyagraha march into Goa. He was imprisoned with his followers by the Portuguese police. Nonviolent protests continued but were met with repression. 15th August 1955, Portuguese police opened fire on the satyagrahis, killing 30 or so civilians. The Portuguese began a military buildup in the area, hoping that they could delay an Indian invasion for long enough that support could be sought from the international community. They also sought to send more naval reinforcements to the territory as well, although this was unable to be done with President Nasser of the UAR denying passage through the Suez Canal to the ships. Panicked by the military buildup, almost 1,000 European civilians evacuated to Portugal. On 11th December 1961, the Indian Army briefed their forces on
Operation Vijay, the assault on Goa. The attack itself commenced on the 17th, and the territory was overrun fairly quickly. There was little consequence for the Indians, aside from some criticism from the allies of Portugal, which was largely drowned out by acclaim for the action by the Soviet Union, UAR and pan-Africanists.
The
Sangh also participated in the
Bhoodan land reform movement. It led to the adoption of Bhoodan Acts by several states. These laws enabled easier transfer of property from wealthy landowners to landless farmers, who were then unable to use it for non-agricultural purposes or resell it. The positive publicity received from these campaigns greatly improved support for the RSS amongst lower-class Hindus. When Nehru passed away in 1964, his daughter Indira Gandhi's accession to the prime ministership was denounced as dynastic and evidence of corruption by the
Sangh. They then mounted massive strikes throughout the country. Gandhi attempted to impose a state of emergency, but such a request was rejected by her government. Forced to acquiesce to a snap election, and with a damaged political image, the RSS won a solid victory in the 1965 election. The leader of the
Sangh,
Sarsanghchalak (supreme leader) Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar (also referred to as
Shri Guruji) became Prime Minister of India. The RSS government immediately implemented an increase in land reform, started a number of initiatives to improve the position of the
dalits and discrimination against Muslims and Christians in local government. After another victory in the 1967 election, the RSS won enough of a mandate to change the constitution, basing the judicial system on the
Manu Smriti. The
Manu Smriti specifies the "sources of law" (
Dharmasya Yonih), particularly in 2.6, which states that "the whole Veda is the (first) source of the sacred law, next the tradition and the virtuous conduct of those who know the (Veda further), also the customs of holy men, and (finally) self-satisfaction (Atmana santushti)". Legal instruction was altered to include detailed instruction on Vedic Law, which became supreme over all other law in the country, as enshrined in the revised 1968 constitution.
M.S. Golwalkar, Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and, after 1968, of Bharatiya
Throughout the country, but especially in the cities, "Hindus" (including Sikhs, Buddhists etc.) were made to join mandatory
shakha, local branches of the RSS which conducted various activities for its volunteers. This included yoga, exercise and sport, as well as emphasising qualities like a sense of social and civic duty, communalism and patriotism. Key amongst the RSS' programme was the promotion of
Hindutva, or "Hinduness". Largely following the definition of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in
Hindutva: Who Is a Hindu?, it defined the term "Hindu" as inclusive of religions of Indian origin, including Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, Veerashaivists, Arya Samaj and adherents of the Ramakrishna Mission. It also embraced tribal peoples, as well as untouchables. It was exclusive, however, of those believed to be under "foreign" influence, including Christians and especially Muslims. Atheists were also considered to have relinquished their Hinduness, particularly communists, seen as an affront to the spiritual basis of Hindustani civilisation. Huge pogroms, led by the
swayamsevaks (officials) of the RSS, descended upon Muslim communities over the four months from July-October 1968, killing thousands and displacing tens of thousands more. Many of these refugees fled into Pakistan, where refugee camps were established for the victims. In response to these attacks, local Muslim men began to arm themselves and engaged in insurgencies. The states in which they were active were put under military law and quarantined, essentially cut off from the rest of the country and from the scrutiny of the international community. Within these cordons there was systematic persecution of the Muslim community, including extrajudicial killing, torture and sexual assault.
The ideological moorings of the RSS movement lay in a number of texts, all of which were taught at secondary schools as part of the "patriotic education" curriculum. These included Vedic texts, Savarkar's
Hindutva and Golwalkar's two books,
We or Our Nationhood Defined and
Bunch of Thoughts. These taught a militant form of Hindu nationalism defined by opposition to Muslims primarily, but also Christians, communists and the Chinese. Golwalkar also taught the importance of supporting the greater "Dharmic" communities, including Buddhist states, as long as they operate in accordance with the principles of their culture. The RSS also changed the name of the Republic of India to the Hindu Republic of Bharatiya (HRB) and the flag from the tricolour to the
Bhagwa Jhanda (saffron banner of the Marathas).