Congress and secular pundits kept debating BJP leader Amit Shah's Hindutva agenda, but Modi has arrived in New Delhi with the politics of Bhartiyata.
The whole point is that: Bhaarathiyatha == Hindhuism.
The kongis(or their fourfathers) and their eco-system tried to redefine Bhaarathiyatha as Secularism(or first-phase of unHindhuization).
Hindhuthva is just a reaction to that attempt.
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There was article about what can Republicans learn from Modi:
I just read a few lines of that article and started shaking my head. Modi simply identified what unites most of Bhaarathiyas: Hindhuism and used soft-Hindhuism to send message.
The major difference has been that unlike his predecessors he has couched his Hindhuthva in development and governance terminology. For example, he talks about cleaning Ganga, stopping cow slaughter, removing art 370, sending back illegal Bdheshi immigrants, saving women from rapes, ...etc. But all these are Hindhuthva issues if one understands the situation properly. However, Modi has projected them as Governance and Development issues. Those who are pro-Hindhuthva know these issues to be Hindhuthva issues. Even those who are anti-Hindhuthva(or anti-Hindhuism) know these are Hindhuthva issues. The fence sitters are the only ones who don't know and they are the ones who are targeted by this. By couching the Hindhuthva issues in terms of development and governance, Modi has removed the fig leaf behind which the so-called secular cabal hide and appeal. This terminology also gives respectability to pro-Hindhuthva side and makes it easier for people to wear it on sleeve and thereby increasing its popularity.
Another point is that Modi comes from a so-called backward caste. Rightly or wrongly, BJP was perceived as a upper-caste party. Projection of Modi, has removed that stigma of being a party of just a particular section and instead BJP has become a party of Hindhus and therefore BJP has gained tremendously by a Hindhu consolidation across the board. The Hindhu consolidation happened due to the brazen appeasement tactics of the other parties. For Republicans, this is equivalent to projecting a non-white.
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Similarly, there was another article about Modi's advertizing tactics. It argued that Modi gained because he kept his message simple and focused: development unlike his opponents who had many messages. I don't think this is a proper analysis. Though the overarching theme was development, Modi focused on different aspects in different areas to target different audience. The message was customized to suit his audience. When he went to riot prone area, his message was different. The theme was still development, but the focus was different.
And most importantly, soft-Hindhuthva was used by Modi because he already had hard-Hindhuthva credentials among masses. Rightly or wrongly, he is perceived as a Hindhuthva strongman. Modi used it to his advantage unlike say Advani who tried to distance himself from Hindhuthva in 2009 which backfired for him(Modi must have seen it and imbibed the lessons).
It seems most of these tactics are already practiced in American electoral process. Soft-X-ism is used by one and all to appeal to their audience.
Once in government, Modi continues with Hindhuthva issues but will use development and governance terminology to justify them. Basically, he is asserting that Bhaarathiyatha means Hindhuism or Hindhuthva as opposed to the belief of kongis.
The big takeaway seems to be Hindhuthva + development is a winning formula.
In short, Modi has glamorized Hindhuthva with development.
In 90s, Hindhuthva was like the Goddess Kaali: fierce and fear-inducing.
Modi has presented Hindhuthva as Goddess Lakshmi: beautiful, benevolent and boon-giving.
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There is another angle to the rise of Modi:
Social Media and Internet Hindhu.
The left and kongis have gained tremendously by being in power. They have been able to patronize a 'intellectuals' and suppress others thus controlling the narrative and discourse. The rise of social media and middle-class literate Hindhus with access to internet and yet rooted to Hindhuism has shattered this hold of kongis and left. Their narrative has been demolished by this new force. Modi sarkaar is the logical evolution of that change.