Election is the ideology | The Indian Express

Election is the ideology | The Indian Express

Written by Vinay Sitapati |Updated: May 28, 2019 12:12:28 am

The writer teaches at Ashoka University

Election is the ideology

A hundred years after the birth of Hindu nationalism, Narendra Modi’s victory embodies its original vision.

Last week’s triumph of the BJP is not just an achievement for brand Modi; it is the culmination of the original logic of his ideology. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)

Hindu nationalism was born exactly 100 years ago. The colonial Government of India’s Act of 1919 allowed for direct (though limited) elections, a first in Indian history. Never before had Indians, as Indians, been able to choose their leaders. In a society composed of individuals with interests, this would have resulted in the ideal of western-style democracy. But in a society composed of groups with identities, the logic of democracy began to be seen through the prism of demographics. For the first time in Indian history, numbers could translate into power.