India: Can Hindu nationalists reshape the constitution?

Indiais the grips of a renewed debate on the country's identity, with the powerful Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — a Hindu nationalist organization founded in 1925 — urging changes to the constitution.

The RSS is seen as the ideological patron of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has governed India since 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Its members subscribe to "Hindutva" — a core political ideology that promotes the values of the Hindu religion as the cornerstone of Indian society and culture —  and work to influence India's politics through RSS' vast network of affiliated organizations that shape education, media, labor unions, and civil society.

RSS says defining India as 'secular' was illegitimate

At a recent book launch event in New Delhi, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale pointed out that the original 1949 Preamble to the Constitution simply defined India as a "sovereign democratic republic."

The words "socialist" and "secular" were added to it in 1976, during the nationwide state of emergency imposed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which saw Gandhi make use of emergency powers to suppress her political opponents. According to Hosabale, the preamble was changed "when Parliament was under siege" and India's democracy was effectively suspended. Therefore, he argues, the move was illegitimate.

'Western terminology is unwanted'

The RSS insists that secularism and socialism are alien concepts imposed on India through a Western lens. They also believe that anyone born in India is to be considered a Hindu, as their forefathers were Hindus before Muslim and Christian influence. According to this ideology, making all of India a Hindu nation means that secularism — the separation of religion and state — will become superfluous.

"Hindutva itself is the greatest guarantee of secularism," said RSS spokesperson Sunil Ambekar in an exclusive comment to DW, adding that the changes to the preamble under Indira Gandhi distorted the founding vision of the Indian republic.

Some members of the ruling BJP are also in favor of resetting the preamble. In 2020, BJP lawmaker Rakesh Sinha introduced a resolution to the parliament seeking the removal of "secular" and "socialist" from the document.

"The way of life which internalizes diversity as natural is true secularism. It is the Hindu way of life. Therefore, Western terminology is unwanted in the Preamble," Sinha told DW.

BJP lacks majority to change constitution

Despite the ongoing political pressure from the right, the Supreme Court of India last year upheld the inclusion of "socialist" and "secular" in the definition, ruling that they strengthen India's core values of liberty, equality, and justice.

"The problem for those advocating a Hindu nation is that secularism stands in the way of declaring Hinduism as the state religion," Ratan Lal, a historian at Delhi University, told DW.

"In the West, secularism means the separation of religion and state. In India, it means that the state has no official religion but respects all religions," he said.

And in the political arena, any changes to the constitution remain unlikely with the current balance of power in the parliament. The BJP controls 240 of 543 seats in the lower house, the Lok Sabha, well short of the two-thirds majority required to change the Constitution. Also, at least half of India's 28 states would need to sign off on the changes.

"The mandate made it clear that the people of India rejected any attempt to alter the Constitution," said Supriya Shrinate, spokesperson for the Congress Party, which is India's largest opposition faction.

She dismissed the RSS's demands as a "diversionary tactic" aimed at shifting focus from pressing issues relating to India's economy and foreign policy.

RSS looks to 2029 elections

Political analyst Abhay Kumar points out that removing the term "secularism" would also be a tough sell within Modi's ruling camp.

"Even the BJP's own party constitution endorses secularism. Any move would first require internal changes within their own framework."

But Kumar warns that even raising this debate has consequences.

"It fuels anxiety among minorities and deepens polarization," he noted.

Also, the symbolic removal of "secularism" and "socialism" is likely to signal a shift towards majoritarian politics, with long-term effects on India's social cohesion and its image as a diverse democracy.

"What we are seeing is the RSS laying the groundwork for future electoral narratives, especially ahead of 2029," according to the analyst.

Another battle, another victory for Hindu nationalists?

So far, Modi government has fulfilled all the agenda items as set by the RSS, including the abrogation of special status and annexation of Jammu and Kashmir, the construction of the Ram Mandir temple on the site of the historic Babri Mosque in Uttar Pradesh, and the passing of the Citizens Amendment Act which grants citizenship to non-Muslims from neighboring countries.

The Ram Mandir temple is build on top of a site of an ancient Muslim mosqueImage: Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

Now, with the RSS is pushing to redefine India's secularism, the struggle between competing visions of India could soon take center stage.

"This will remain a live issue in Indian politics, shaping debates in the years to come," Kumar told DW.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic