Hindutva a Threat to Regional Stability

17th Century

Shivaji, leader of the Bhonsle Maratha family, revolts against the Mughal rule. Some consider this period the beginning of Hindu political awakening.

19th Century

Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Dwarkanath Tagore ignited the dormant political awareness of Hindus by launching a campaign to reform Hinduism and introducing a syncretic version called Brahmo Samaj.

1885

The Congress Party is formed to protect Hindu interests and splits into two main streams: Nehruvian secular nationalism and traditional nationalism based on religious nationalism.

1905

Madan Mohan Malaviya, a Hindu nationalist, establishes the Hindu Sabha.

1921

The Hindu Sabha transforms into the Hindu Mahasabha.

1922

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar defines the Hindutva ideology in his book "Essentials of Hindutva."

1923

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar presents Hindutva as a "majoritarian nationalist ideological project."

1925

Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a Brahmin and doctor from Nagpur, establishes the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to "revive Hindu supremacy in India."

1925

1948 (Phase 1 of RSS): The organization primarily focuses on the spiritual education of Hindu youth.

1940

Shri Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar is introduced by Dr. Hedgewar as his successor.

1942 - Golwalkar's Directive

Golwalkar instructs RSS volunteers not to participate in Gandhi's Quit India Movement.

1947 - Patel's Warning

Sardar Patel warns that if Muslims want peace, they must abandon partition and live in a united India.

1947 - RSS's Dark Phase

RSS experiences its darkest period, including a nationwide ban by the Congress government due to Gandhi's assassination by Nathuram Godse (a former RSS member).

1948 - Nationwide Ban on RSS

In 1949, RSS faces a nationwide ban by the Congress government.

1949 - RSS Constitution Adopted

The RSS constitution is adopted and amended until July 1, 1972.

1980 (Phase Three of RSS)

RSS sees increased popularity, expanded funding channels, and a growing political presence in the Indian Parliament.

1980

RSS separates the Jana Sangh faction from the Janata Party and establishes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

1989

1991: BJP achieves electoral success through active support from RSS and its affiliates like VHP.

Early 1990s

RSS becomes one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world.

1992

The demolition of the Babri Masjid takes place.

1993

The Bombay riots occur.

1998

1999: Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government (BJP) moves towards rapprochement with Nawaz Sharif's government (Pakistan), leading to the signing of the Lahore Declaration.

2001 (17 December)

Mridula Mukherjee and Aditya Mukherjee publish an article titled "Communalization of Education: The History Textbook Debate" addressing the cleansing of history books from 'undesirable statements'.

2002

The Gujarat riots and the Godhra train burning incident occur.

2004

Uma Bharti, following RSS dreams of implementing Manusmriti as the constitution, bans cow slaughter.

2005 (8 September)

Pritam Singh publishes "Hindu Bias in India's Secular Constitution: Probing Flaws in Governance Instruments" addressing the undermining of secularism by institutionalized fundamentalism.

2008

Nepal transitions from a monarchy to a republic, ceasing to be the world's only Hindu state.

2011

Sujit Kulkar releases "The Lost Years of RSS."

2012

The number of RSS branches exceeds 40,000.

2013 (May 26)

Narendra Modi calls for "zero tolerance" against Naxalites, labeling them as terrorists.

2014

Narendra Modi is elected as the Prime Minister of India.

2014 - Dalai Lama Invitation

Invitation of the Dalai Lama to the World Hindu Congress opening leads to Chinese protests.

2014 - Dinananth Batra Appointment

Dinananth Batra is appointed as the head of the state committee responsible for educational reform in Gujarat.

2014 - RSS Branches Count

The number of RSS branches reaches approximately 43,000.

July 25, 2014 - Gaikwad's Publication

Gaikwad publishes "Dinananth Batra's Books Must Be Read in Gujarat Schools."

October 25, 2014 - Ahmad Noorani's Publication

Ahmad Noorani publishes "Dangerous Belief," referring to Golwalkar.

2015 - Elizabeth Roche's Publication

Elizabeth Roche publishes 'RSS Resistance to Land Bill', highlighting RSS's ability to halt opposing laws.

2015 - BJP Officials Attend RSS Meetings

BJP officials and ministers participate in RSS coordination meetings.

2015 - Reuters Special Report

Reuters publishes 'Special Report: The Battle for India's Soul, State by State'.

2015 - Mandakini Gahlot's Publication

Mandakini Gahlot publishes 'New Indian Textbooks Favor Hindu Nationalist Themes, Worry Minorities'.

2015 - Anahita Mukherji's Report

Anahita Mukherji reports that RSS branches have expanded to 39 countries.

2015 (November 27)

Hemant Ojha publishes "India-Nepal Crisis," referring to India's border blockade in 2015.

2015

RSS increases its service projects to 165,000.

2016

The number of RSS branches reaches approximately 58,000.

2016

RSS adds a debate techniques course to its third-year training camp in Nagpur.

2016 (September 17)

Falak Jawad publishes "Militant Hindutva and Pakistan," referring to Ajit Doval's theory on asymmetric warfare.

2016 (August 20)

Vinugopal Vasuda publishes "RSS hires top business school experts to attract youth".

2017 (March 12)

Surya Rao publishes "This theory explains why BJP won in Muslim-majority areas".

2017 (July 4)

Moha Chatterjee publishes "RSS-affiliated trade union opposes Air India privatization".

2017 (September 30)

Mohan Bhagwat, RSS chief, speaks on the importance of small industries and micro enterprises.

2017 (November)

The Modi government makes significant revisions to GST.

2017 (June 5)

Revati Krishnan publishes "M.S. Golwalkar, the RSS Chief who remains a 'Guruji' to some and a 'bigot' to others."

2017 (September 21)

Siddhartha Roy publishes "Half a Century of India's Maoist Insurgency."

2018 (August 5)

Rashid Wali Janjua publishes "The Rise of Indian Nationalism as a Barrier to Regional Peace" in the Brussels Times.

2018 (April 17)

Pawan Burugula publishes "Air India Should be Run by an Indian Company, Says RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat."

2018 (September 24)

Maria Thomas publishes "India's Growth Story Overlooks Its Muslim Minority."

2018

India faces economic turmoil in 2018 due to BJP government policies.

2018

Sudha Bharadwaj, a human rights lawyer, is arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and has been in pre-trial detention since 2018.

2018 (August 30)

Web Desk publishes, "Hindus directly called 'terrorists', those linked with Naxals 'alleged supporters': Shiv Sena".

2019 (January 9)

Ayaz Ashraf publishes, "Modi's 10% quota for upper classes is a political gamble that may not pay off (just like demonetization)".

2019 (January 13)

Alf Gunvald Nilsen publishes, "Is BJP really concerned about India's poor?"

2019 (June 26)

Niranjan Sahoo publishes "From Bihar to Andhra, How India Fought and Won Its 50-Year War with Left-Wing Extremism."

2019 (April 12)

"Inside the RSS of India: The Secretive Group of Hardline Hindus Dedicated to Re-electing Narendra Modi" is published.

2019 (15 July)

D.K. Singh publishes "Why RSS has decided to remind Modi-Shah of its key role in BJP's big electoral wins."

2019 (26 February)

The Indian Air Force violates Pakistani airspace and conducts retaliatory strikes in Balakot after the Pulwama attacks.

2019 (30 August)

The Congressional Research Service publishes "India: Religious Freedom Issues."

2019 (2 October)

Rohan Mukherjee publishes "Climbing the Escalation Ladder: India and the Balakot Crisis."

2019 (5 August)

India unilaterally revokes the special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

August 6, 2019

Amit Shah, the Home Minister, announces in Lok Sabha that 'every inch of Aksai Chin will be taken back from China.'

August 28, 2019

The opposition demands an apology from the ruling BJP for 'cheap politics' on the issue, indicating a shift in Congress's foreign policy.

November 11, 2019

Arun Budhathoki publishes 'India's Updated Political Map Sparks Controversy in Nepal,' referring to India's territorial claims.

December 11, 2019

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is passed in India, granting amnesty to non-Muslim migrants from three neighboring countries.

December 30, 2019

Nayanima Basu publishes 'Bangladesh Seeks Written Assurance from India to Take Back Migrants Post-CAA.'

2019

Nalin Mehta publishes "Digital Politics in India's 2019 General Elections."

2019 (January 1)

David James Strohl publishes "Love Jihad in India's Moral Imaginations: Religion, Kinship, and Citizenship in Late Liberalism."

2019

BJP wins 303 seats in the elections.

2020 (January)

Pakistan's trade with India is 16.8 million dollars.

2020 (March 18)

Shrikant Bhadekar publishes "See Where Bangladesh Has Reached and What Has Happened to Pakistan - Prime Minister Modi."

2020 - Opinion on India's Judicial Independence

Rana Ayyub publishes 'Opinion: The Erosion of India's Judicial Independence is Almost Complete.'

2020 - Muslim Community Not Responsible for Group's Crime

Web Desk publishes 'The Entire Muslim Community Cannot Be Held Responsible for the Crime of a Group: Naqvi on Tablighi Jamaat Controversy.'

2020 - Nepal's New Political Map Challenges India

Kalol Bhattacharjee publishes 'Nepal's New Political Map Raises Territorial Claims Against India.'

2020 - What a Loss

Rashid Wali Janjua publishes 'What a Loss' in the Brussels Times, highlighting the role of the Srivastava Group in misinformation campaigns.

2020 - Evidence of India's Support for State Terrorism

Document 'Irrefutable Evidence' is presented regarding India's support for state terrorism in Pakistan.

2020 (September 16)

Marusha Muzaffar publishes "The Secret Facebook Rules Modi Uses to Create an Image of Invincibility."

2020 (December 23)

Rashid Wali Janjua publishes "What a Loss," highlighting India's role in misinformation campaigns.

2021 (March 1)

Wired reports that "India is no longer a democracy, but an electoral autocracy."

2021 (March 22)

R.N. Bhaskar publishes "Judiciary: Is India a Democracy?"

2021 (March 20)

"These Eight Leaders Decide in RSS" is published.

Assam Election Results 2021

Web Desk publishes "Assam Election Results 2021: NDA led by BJP nears victory; State Congress chief resigns."

2021 - Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference

Online conference "Dismantling Global Hindutva" is held.

2021 - Pakistan's Exports to Afghanistan Decline

Mubarak Zeb Khan publishes "Pakistan's exports to Afghanistan have sharply declined after the Taliban takeover."

2021 - Trouble in Bangladesh

Editorial publishes "Trouble in Bangladesh: On attacks against Hindus."

2021 - Hindu-Muslim Violence Spreads

Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Redwan Ahmed publish "Hindu-Muslim violence spreads from Bangladesh to India."

2021 - Learning Curve for Aryan Khan

Javed Naqvi publishes "Learning Curve for Aryan Khan" referring to the arrest incident of Shah Rukh Khan's son.

2021 - Top Indian Brands Retreat

Top Indian brands retreat after threats from Hindu extremists.

2021 - Nepal's New PM Seeks Better Ties with India

Kamal Dev Bhattarai publishes "Nepal's New PM Deuba Seeks Better Ties with India."

2021 - Opinion: Why a Film's Success Should Worry Us

Rana Ayyub publishes "Opinion: Why the Success of an Indian Film at the Box Office Should Worry Us."

2021 - Sewa International Planning Violence

Jonathan Miller's YouTube video "Sewa International Planning Violence" is released by Channel 4 News UK.

2021 (November 16)

Jawed Naqvi publishes "The Harmful Debate on Savarkar."

2021 (November 27)

Publishes "Pakistan Condemns 'Provocative and Irresponsible' Remarks by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat."

2021 (November 12)

Aakar Patel publishes "What is Hindu Rashtra."

Unknown (for decades)

Narendra Modi engages in political activities under the exclusive ideology of RSS.