The literal meaning of Sangh Parivar is “Family of Organizations,” a term used to refer to the web of Hindu nationalist organizations operating in India with a single agenda: to make India a Hindu nation.
The various groups under Sangh Parivar are adherents of a single ideology called Hindutva, meaning “Hinduness.” It seeks to establish a theocratic Hindu-majority state where religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims, are relegated to second-class status. It is a society where Hinduism is protected and promoted.
The establishment of this state would be a complete rejection of India’s founding principle: religious freedom and equal protection for all religious groups.
While the Sangh Parivar has a single agenda, the establishment of India as a Hindu nation, each member of the Sangh Parivar has a unique and complementary role.
These various groups pursue different lines of influence, mutually cooperating and supporting each other’s activities. Over the years, ICC has documented how the most prominent Sangh Parivar groups have worked together to the detriment of India’s religious minorities.
These two groups sum up the ideology and persecution methods of Sangh Parivar:
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS):
The RSS is an ideological founder of the Hindutva movement and was founded in 1925. The RSS, however, claims they are simply a cultural organization, working to protect Hindu culture from Western influence.
As a member of the Sangh Parivar, the RSS fuels a religiously intolerant narrative that portrays all non-Indic faiths, like Christianity and Islam, as foreign and threatening.
The RSS demonizes Christians and other religious minorities through these hateful narratives, instigating violence in the streets. The RSS also uses these narratives to advocate for laws and policies that discriminate against religious minorities.
There are more than 6 million members of the RSS across India in over 50,000 locations. These members meet daily and dedicate part of their meetings to martial arts training. Many members eventually use this training against religious minorities.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP):
The BJP is the political wing of the Sangh Parivar. Using the hateful narratives established by the RSS and the millions of RSS members across India, the BJP uses political victories to establish India as a Hindu nation.
BJP politicians often use hate speeches against Christians for political gain. These speeches help spread the hateful narratives established by the RSS and instigate violence against Christians in the streets.
BJP politicians then use political support garnered by these narratives to pass laws that discriminate against Christians.
This article first appeared on persecution.org