Vishva Hindu Parishad and Indian Politics

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. The early years. 3. Transition to mass activism. 4. A non-electoral actor in Indian politics. 5. Demolishing the Babri Masjid. 6. Post-demolition consolidation. 7. Conversions and reconversions. 8. Conclusion. Appendices. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

"Vishva Hindu Parishad and Indian Politics provides a detailed historical account of the VHP, one of the leading organisations in the Hindutva movement. It focuses on the VHP’s transformation from a loosely knit body of Hindus aimed at preserving and promoting Hindu dharma, into a mass organisation actively involved in mobilising the urban middle classes, service professionals and religious leaders for the creation and promotion of a strong Hindu nation.

In elaborating this transformation, Manjari Katju specifically looks at: the VHP’s programmes immediately prior to the demolition of the Babri Mosque and in its immediate aftermath; the aggressive and communal idiom employed by it during the nineties; its contestation of the secular structure of the Indian state; its negative politicisation of the activities of the Christian missionaries; and, crucially, the changing relations between the VHP and the RSS, on the one hand, and the BJP, on the other, which informs the analysis of this transformation.

Rich in empirical data, the book contains extensive quotations from fifty interviews carried out for this study, including those with central figures in the VHP such as Praveen Togadia and Ashok Singhal and members of related organisations. For all those who seek to know more about the VHP and to understand the ideological and political space occupied by Hindutva in recent years, this book is a must read."