Author: Yogendra K Malik
V B Singh/
Publisher: Sage Publications
Year: 1999
Language: English
Pages: 262
ISBN/UPC (if available): 817036485X
Description
This volume traces the origins of Hindu nationalism, examines its role in pre- and post-independence politics, and analyze the circumstances leading to the rise of BJP as a major political force in the 1980s and 1990s.
The recent and dramatic rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a major contender for political power in India has generated considerable interest in its ideology, political goals, and leadership. From its beginnings as an insignificant political force in 1984, when it captured only two seats in parliament, to its sudden emergence in 1989 as the country’s second largest political party, the BJP has come to pose a major challenge to the Congress Party and other secularist parties that have dominated Indian politics since independence in 1947.
As this book shows, the BJP, by espousing an explicitly Hindu nationalist agenda, repudiates the nonsectarian basis upon which the Indian state was founded. Utilizing party documents and extensive interviews with key party leaders and the intellectual exponents of Hindu nationalism, the authors describe the BJP’s organizational and leadership structure, factional division, electoral support, programs, and policies. The authors conclude by considering the possible course that the Party will adopt if it should come to power.
Contents
List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments
Ideology, Power, and Political Parties
The Bharatiya Janata Party: Its Heritage and Leadership
Strategies: Collaboration, Alliances, Cooperation, and Confrontation
Policies and Issue Orientations
Organization, Decision-Making, and Supportive Groups
Electoral Performance: National and State Levels
Conclusion: Summary, Assessments, and Prospects
Bibliography
Index