India’s Modi presaged the global surge in nationalism

India, the world’s largest democracy, is navigating a delicate balance between secular governance and rising Hindu nationalism.  

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), governance has increasingly aligned with religious identity, raising long-time concerns about a shift toward a Hindu majoritarian state.

While the BJP officially denies any move toward theocracy, its policies and rhetoric often reflect Hindutva principles—an ideology emphasizing India’s Hindu civilizational identity.

This tension is not unique to India. Across the globe, nationalism intertwined with religious and cultural identity is on the rise.

However, India’s case is particularly significant. As the world’s most populous nation and an emerging economic powerhouse, its political and social trajectory will have profound domestic and global consequences.

Hindu nationalist roots

The BJP traces its roots to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, founded in 1951 as an opposition to the secular and socialist-leaning Congress Party. While the BJP promotes Hindu nationalism, it has also reshaped India’s economic policies, moving away from the Congress Party’s socialist model by liberalizing the economy and promoting self-reliance.

India has experienced record economic growth under the BJP. Its GDP doubled from US$2 trillion in 2014 to nearly $4 trillion in 2024, ranking India just behind Japan and Germany. Various studies predict India will become the world’s third-largest economy by 2030.

Since taking power in 2014, the BJP has faced accusations of undermining secularism. Critics argue that new legislation increasingly reflects Hindutva policies.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) of 2019, for example, expedites citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries, raising concerns over religious discrimination.

Additionally, anti-conversion laws in BJP-ruled states prohibit “religious conversions achieved through coercion, allurement, and fraud,” which critics argue disproportionately target religious minorities.

Modi has also played a visible role in religious matters. In 2020, he laid the foundation stone for the Ram Mandir, the temple in Ayodhya built on the site of the Babri Masjid, a mosque demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992. The mosque’s destruction led to violent protests, resulting in over 2,000 deaths.

Hot secular debate

The BJP’s success was largely a reaction against the Congress Party, which governed India for most of the post-independence era. Decades of Congress rule led to a bureaucratic and socialist system that restricted private industry, leading to inefficiency and slow growth.

However, some intellectuals argue that Congress, like the BJP, was also dismissive of minorities, especially of the Muslim population. Postcolonial historian Pratinav Anil contends that both parties have historically reinforced Hindu cultural dominance. He writes:

“In provinces controlled by Congress, idol worship was imposed on Muslim students, discriminatory licensing policies destroyed Muslim businesses, and cow slaughter bans bankrupted Muslim butchers. History textbooks were rewritten to heroize Hindus and malign Muslims, paving the way for Partition.”

Others have pointed out that a change in political parties does not change India’s predominantly religious worldview. Even Mahatma Gandhi framed the struggle for independence as a moral and spiritual battle, using Hindu concepts such as Satyagraha (non-violence) to unify diverse communities.

American macrohistorian Lawrence Taub argued that liberal democracy was also a fit for India. Taub placed India in what he called the “religious belt,” the region from Bangladesh to North Africa.

He argued that Western political ideology largely failed in these regions because the dominant worldview is religious. Religion and daily life are intertwined, leaving little room for secular ideologies.

Religion and spirituality

Indian spiritual teacher Sadhguru, one of the world’s most influential gurus, occupies a unique position in India’s religious revival. Sadhguru appeals to both traditional religious groups and those focused on personal spiritual growth.

Sadhguru’s global appeal is evident from his millions of followers on social media. An interview with American podcaster Joe Rogan generated 10 million views. Last month, Sadhguru launched a meditation app that was downloaded two million times in two weeks, outpacing OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

While Sadhguru avoids direct political affiliations, his statements often align with Hindu nationalist themes. He emphasizes India’s spiritual heritage and advocates for the integration of Hindu philosophy into governance, resonating with the BJP’s broader ideological goals.

However, Sadhguru is also actively involved in environmental and educational initiatives. His Isha Foundation has mobilized millions of people to plant trees, rejuvenate rivers and promote sustainable farming.

Sadhguru’s educational initiative, the Isha Home Schools, incorporates yoga and meditation from a young age, aiming to cultivate inner stability before academic achievement. The schools also emphasize community service and farm stays.

Sadhguru is a frequent target of criticism from India’s urban intellectuals, who they view as a covert supporter of Hindutva. His close ties with Modi have fueled this perception. Modi attended the consecration of a large Yogic monument at Sadhguru’s ashram in South India.

To his followers, Sadhguru represents a modernizer of ancient spiritual practices and a bridge between India’s religious and spiritual traditions.

Whether India remains a secular democracy with religious influences or transitions into a Hindu civilizational state remains uncertain. For now, the BJP can take comfort from polls that suggest a majority of Indians believe the country is heading in the right direction.

Religious and cultural revivalism is not unique to India. Across the world, there has been a nationalist backlash against conventional left-right ideologies and globalist policies. If voters don’t question democracy outright, they are increasingly questioning its outcomes: growing social dislocation, declining living standards and a sense that systems are broken.

Notably, leaders as diverse as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have embraced nationalist and religious narratives, while a growing number of political parties in Europe are calling for a reorientation away from globalism to more localism. The message seems to be: “Let’s put our own house in order before trying to change the world.”