Saffronisation and South Asian Security: Could Hindu Fundamentalism Ignite Another India-Pakistan War? |
The recent Pakistan-India May episode saw a blatant attempt by India to undermine the sovereignty of Pakistan by launching missile strikes on its territory under the false pretext of a state-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam. This was a violation of international law and led to a four-day missile and fire exchange between the two states. A variety of reasons could be cited to explain such aggressive Indian behavior, such as its struggle for hegemony, regional dominance, and power projection. However, all of these factors are inspired by one major factor, i.e., the ideology of “A Greater India” also known as saffronisation of India. Such radical and extremist ideologies have led India to adopt policies that have undermined the stability and security of the South Asian region.
Saffronisation is derived from the color Saffron, and represents Hindu nationalism, also observed on the Indian flag. The ideology of saffronisation is directly linked with Hindutva, which refers to India as a “Hindu” state rather than a secular state. This ideology is problematic in the sense that it alludes to the whole of South Asia, being a unified state, known as the Akhand Baharat. Therefore, the radicalization of such an ideology would compromise the sovereignty of the states present in the region, namely Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Myanmar.
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Narendra Modi, is the representative of such Hindu fundamentalism in India. BJP and Modi are associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is a paramilitary organization created in 1925 and does not believe in a democratic India. As the BJP assumed power in the 2014 elections and again in 2019, the rate of saffronisation has increased along with the creation of radical policies,........