BURYING PATRIOTISM ALIVE: AN EXAMINATION OF THE THREAT OF MODERN HINDU NATIONALISM ON PATRIOTIC VALUES IN INDIA

Abstract

The election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi magnified the prevalence and significance of Hindu nationalism in India. Naturally, the magnification of Hindu nationalism begets many questions: how is it materializing? What role does the government of India play in perpetuating it? Should we care -- what is at stake? This paper will examine exactly what is at stake-- patriotic values in India. Patriotism is practiced by preserving the values of a nation that benefit and protect all of its citizens. These patriotic values may materialize in the form of human rights and the nation’s constitution. Narandra Modi’s party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has been responsible for multiple human rights violations and is working to undermine many of India’s constitutional values in their effort to sustain Hindu nationalism. This paper will assert that modern Hindu nationalism, as perpetuated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, threatens patriotic values in India.