The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with its decision to do away with Article 370, has sparked outrage not only in Indian held Kashmir but also across Pakistan, which slammed India’s move as an absolute usurpation of the rights of Kashmiris. Scrapping of Article 370, which granted special autonomy to the region, was denounced within India as well, with Opposition parties decrying the unilateral move as a huge blow to democracy and a steady assault on India’s Constitution. However, it did not take long for the few voices of dissent to trail off, owing to the overwhelming applause that came from Hindu Nationalists, who long opposed Article 370, matter of fact, ever since it was enacted in the Indian Constitution. The sentiments of approval echoed in the streets of New Delhi, Mumbai and western state of Gujrat, with BJP supporters celebrating and distributing sweets among the population.
In the light of the ongoing state of affairs, it would not be an overstatement to suggest that India’s move in Kashmir has put its own constitution in peril, which the Hindu nationalists have consistently viewed as being at odds with their own ideology.
Hindu Nationalists de facto rejection of the Indian Constitution dates back to 1949 when the Constitution was adopted, and their relentless attacks continued even after the constitution came into force. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right wing Hindu Nationalist organization and the Parent wing of the present ruling party BJP, viewed the Indian Constitution as a betrayal to Hindus, and termed the idea of an inclusive India as a false notion. M.S Golwark who was the head of RSS from 1940 until 1973 asserted that India “must be built up of Hindus and of Hindu culture”, Golwark went to the extent to describe Muslims, Christians and Communists as threat number one, two and three, respectively, in his well-known work “Bunch of Thoughts”.
Yogi Adityanath, who was appointed the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh by Narendra Modi, once remarked that the “word secularism is the biggest lie” propagated by the Congress party, and also went on to state that there was “nothing wrong with the idea of a Hindu State”
It is quite evident from such explicit remarks that RSS, the Hallmark of Hindu ultra-Nationalism, has always opposed the idea of an inclusive India, with Muslims, Christians, and other minorities often deemed as “foreign Invaders”.
The RSS has also been long opposed to the secular nature of the Indian Constitution. This is quite evident from works of prominent thinkers of the organization such as Deendayal Upadhyay who, along with being regarded as a principal ideologue of ruling BJP, advocated for an alternative Constitution based on the laws of manusmriti, which is an ancient Hindu legal text. Numerous prominent leaders belonging to the ruling BJP refuse to acknowledge India as a secular Nation. Yogi Adityanath, who was appointed the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh by Narendra Modi, once remarked that the “word secularism is the biggest lie” propagated by the Congress party, and also went on to state that there was “nothing wrong with the idea of a Hindu State”
Furthermore, RSSs criticism of India’s constitution extended to the principles of federalism as well. Such was their objection to federalism that they advocated for the constitution to be reexamined and redrafted in order to have a “unitary form of government” established. The move to strip Kashmir of its autonomy without any prior will or consent of Kashmiris has undoubtedly undermined federalism; this serves as a huge victory to Hindu nationalist and leaves a dangerous precedent behind for other states.
The above-mentioned facts are only a handful of many other objections that Ultranationalists have had with the Indian Constitution, the purpose, however is not to simply highlight some of these long held qualms, rather it is to point out that the revocation of Article 370 may itself signal a step towards recasting India’s Constitution. This may seem as a ridiculous projection consisting of greatly exaggerated analysis of the situation, and yet the prospects of constitutional change appear increasingly vivid after taking into account the overwhelming majority that the right wing ultranationalists hold in Indian Legislature.
The ruling BJP with its coalition of right wing parties ,known as National Democratic Alliance (NDA), won a total 357 out of 545 seats in the lower house of parliament(Lok Sabha) along with 116 out of 245 seats in the upper house(Rajya Sabha). This helped secure the path for abrogation of Article 370 bill to pass by a majority. Furthermore, BJP led ruling coalition controls 19 out of the 31 States and Union territories, which in return is likely to give them a majority in the upper house by 2020, since the seats in Rajya Sabha are elected by the state assemblies.
Securing a majority in the Rajya Sabha, therefore, stands as the only obstacle in the way of BJP. This is very crucial for the ruling party to advocate its legislative agenda, which would likely pursue controversial subjects such as the Citizenship Amendment Bill, construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and other issues aimed at pushing the core ideological agenda of Ultra Hindu Nationalists.
The writer is a Bosnian National studying BS International Relations at International Islamic University