Savarkar’s legacy, Modi’s reality

Two months before his latest escalation of militaristic policies, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly honoured Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a significant influence on both his political stance and ideological framework.

Savarkar is often referred to as the founding figure of Hindutva. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with its ideological progenitor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has consistently drawn upon Savarkar’s perspective, which is notably influenced by fascist ideology and notions of ethnic superiority. Savarkar notably asserted, “India should follow the German example to solve the Muslim problem.”

In 1938, amidst the peak of Adolf Hitler’s ethnic purges in Nazi Germany, Savarkar not only commended fascism but also advocated for its adoption in India. He stated, “Germany has every right to resort to Nazism and Italy to fascism and events have justified those actions.” Importantly, these ‘events’ culminated in genocide, a global conflict and the deaths of tens of millions. This same ideological framework is manifesting in India, under a government that openly embraces its RSS association.

Established in 1925, the RSS was explicitly inspired by European fascist movements. It admired the centralised, racial-nationalist model of Hitler. It structured its organisational design similarly, featuring a militarised cadre, a doctrine of religious supremacy and the objective of establishing a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, an India exclusively for Hindus. This vision has reached a perilous zenith under Modi's administration. Since taking office in 2014, Modi and the BJP have systematically eroded the pluralistic ethos that has characterised the Indian Republic. They have disparaged Muslims, undermined the judiciary, restricted media freedoms and weaponised state institutions.

India’s 200 million Muslims, one of the world’s largest Muslim minorities, have increasingly been targeted, marginalised and dehumanised. The revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, which eliminated the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir, marked a significant advancement toward the RSS's objective of demographic supremacy.

In practical terms, this action facilitated the forced demographic alteration of a Muslim-majority region. The agenda of the Modi regime in Kashmir, supported by an unprecedented military presence, communication blackouts, mass detentions and extrajudicial killings, has resulted in one of the most oppressive environments globally.

The incident in Pahalgam represents a significant turning point. The BJP promptly attributed blame to Pakistan without providing substantive evidence. This aligns with a recurring pattern: accusing Islamabad serves to divert attention from failures in Kashmir while galvanising nationalist sentiment in the lead-up to elections. Historical precedents, such as the Uri attack in 2016, the Pulwama incident in 2019,and the recent events in Pahalgam in 2025, illustrate how India exploits such occurrences to escalate military tensions with Pakistan, a nuclear-armed neighbour. In each instance, the Indian government has failed to present credible evidence, whereas Pakistan has consistently condemned the attacks and called for impartial investigation.

India's recent retaliatory actions included threats to divert Pakistan's water supply under the Indus Waters Treaty, missile strikes perilously close to civilian targets, and a military operation curiously named ‘Sindoori Shakti’, referencing the vermilion mark worn by married Hindu women. This nomenclature seems to underscore the deeply entrenched gendered and religious symbolism prevalent in the nationalism propagated by the RSS.

The question arises: why does India approach the brink of war during each election cycle? The answer resides in the perilous intersection of political survival and militarism. Prime Minister Modi's support base thrives on hyper-nationalism, which necessitates the existence of an external enemy to justify domestic shortcomings. As economic indicators falter, indicated by a GDP growth rate falling below 5.5 per cent in Q1 2025 and unemployment reaching a five-year high of 9.2 per cent public discontent is redirected towards Pakistan. The Hindutva agenda has consistently prioritised power and control over diplomatic engagement.

The recent escalation in Occupied Kashmir involved a significant but ultimately unsuccessful operation by the IAF into Pakistani airspace. The PAF demonstrated commendable discipline and precision by repelling the incursion, resulting in the downing of five Indian aircraft, including the much-publicised French-built Rafale jet, which the BJP had marketed as a technological advancement.

Leaked French intelligence reports published in Le Monde confirmed that the destruction of the Rafale represents the first recognised combat loss of the aircraft globally. This raises pertinent questions regarding India's military capabilities and the assumptions surrounding its procurement strategies. International acclaim has been directed toward the PAF for its restraint and tactical proficiency.

Pakistan Foreign Office reiterated its commitment to peace while affirming its inherent right to self-defence. This situation transcends the immediate context of Kashmir; it reflects the extent to which Modi is prepared to go to maintain power. India appears to have undergone a complete transformation characterised by an erosion of democratic principles, an increase in the marginalisation of minorities, and the portrayal of warfare as a political imperative.

Under Modi's leadership, acts of violence against Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Dalits and other minority groups have significantly increased. The period from 2014 to 2024 witnessed a reported 700 per cent rise in incidents of hate speech, according to data from IndiaSpend. A recent report by Human Rights Watch warns that “India is descending into majoritarian authoritarianism under the guise of democratic governance.” Activists aligned with the RSS now occupy crucial positions within various governmental ministries, educational councils, media boards, and military planning units. Educational curricula have been revised to glorify ancient Hindu empires while neglecting the contributions of Muslims to India’s historical narrative, portraying figures such as Vinayak Savarkar as freedom fighters rather than as proponents of fascism.

What renders Hindutva particularly concerning is its ideological framework and its implementation and normalization. The international community largely overlooked the actions of Hitler until it was too late, and a similar oversight is currently observed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In its pursuit of India as a strategic counterbalance to China, Western powers have often turned a blind eye to the ongoing oppression in Kashmir, the persecution of Muslim minorities, and the escalation of militarisation within Indian society.

India's purported ‘strategic autonomy’ has effectively translated into strategic impunity. The country has engaged in significant defence agreements with nations including France and the US. In 2024 alone, India allocated $73 billion to defence, ranking it as the third-largest military spender globally, following the US and China. Despite this substantial investment, India prioritises rhetoric and aggression over stability and development.

As elections approach, the BJP continues to invoke war rhetoric in its manifesto. BJP president J P Nadda recently proclaimed, "We are not afraid of any enemy, foreign or domestic we shall eliminate them." This language resonates with the darker epochs of European fascism, during which minorities were labelled as internal adversaries and purges were perceived as acts of patriotism. The implications of this fascist resurgence extend beyond India; they threaten the entire region's stability. South Asia, home to approximately 1.9 billion individuals, cannot afford the repercussions of a conflict.

Comparisons between Nazi Germany and contemporary India under Modi are becoming increasingly grounded in observable realities rather than mere rhetorical embellishments. The RSS, akin to early Nazi ideologues, adheres to principles of cultural purity, a robust state, the suppression of dissent and the supremacy of a single religion. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar unequivocally expressed admiration for Hitler, a sentiment that Modi has similarly articulated towards Savarkar.

The global community must recognise that this situation transcends internal politics. It constitutes a global threat to peace, pluralism, and the very essence of democracy in the world’s most populous region. The longer the forces of fascism persist in India, the closer South Asia approaches potential catastrophe.

As historical precedents demonstrate, fascists do not relinquish power voluntarily; they must be confronted and identified explicitly. While the 1920s witnessed the rise of Hitler, the 2020s appear poised to present a similar figure, clothed in saffron attire, equipped with advanced military capabilities and endangering South Asia’s future.

The writer is a trade facilitation expert, working with the federal government of Pakistan.