Mapping the March

A look at a decade of the Hindu Rashtra conferences in Goa reveals which of their targets have been achieved and what remains

- Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

WHAT does a Hindu Rashtra look like? How far are we from it? Or how deep are we already into the Hindu Rashtra, now that the Ram temple is being inaugurated on that once-disputed Ayodhya land with full state patronage?

Such questions have plagued many minds, as reflected in various social media posts, in recent months.  

In June 2012, about a dozen functionaries of various organisations affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), attended a conference in Goa to discuss establishing a Hindu Rashtra in India. The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Rashtra Adhiveshan was the first such event—a national conference—for the establishment of such a Rashtra.

During the conference, Hindutva ideologue Charudatta Pingale gave a picture of the Hindu Rashtra as he conceived it. From incorporating a “subtle dimension in judicial process” to rewriting Indian history, his depiction of a Hindu Rashtra covered almost every aspect of public and even private life. 

According to him, the laws in the Hindu Rashtra will look after Hindu interests. Religious conversions will be banned. Policemen will be devoted to the nation and Dharma. There will be no reservations. There will not be any strikes, protests or rallies. Farmers will produce only those goods that aid national progress. Strong laws will be passed to check infiltration and the borders will be secured. Economic policies would be based on Kautilya’s wisdom and the pivotal point of societal well-being would be Dharma, not law.