The narratives of victimhood being propagated by Hindutva supporters in the US are remarkably similar to those of White supremacists. In both cases, privileged groups are attempting to portray themselves as the real victims. In addition, Hindutva supporters see Zionists as useful allies in their effort to draw parallels between antisemitism and “Hinduphobia.”
These overlapping interests are being leveraged quite effectively by Hindu supremacists to push their agenda in the US in favor both of Hindu elites and the Narendra Modi government.
Their claims of widespread “Hinduphobia” are being given a sympathetic and sometimes apologetic hearing by many US lawmakers, interfaith groups and human rights organisations, which fail to look critically at the underlying data.
The victim card
Hindutva supporters have learnt from the Israel lobby how to play the victim card to accumulate political power disproportionate to their numbers. This has allowed them to convince US lawmakers and governors to support their regressive positions on matters like stopping legislation against caste discrimination.
More often than not, their policy positions are in sync with the Modi government and are designed to shield it from any criticism in the diaspora.
This story was originally published in scroll.in. Read the full story here.
