Sangh Parivar
The Sangh Parivar is a loose "family" of organizations, including political parties, which promote the ideology of Hindutva. The word parivar means family in Hindi, so the term Sangh Parivar is used to refer to the family of organisations affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Hindutva proponents insist that they stand for more than the Hindu religion; they believe in a Hindu nation or community that includes Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. Muslims are in general distrusted, unless they accept Hindustan, rather than the Islamic ummah, as their primary identity.
Hindutva originated in the late nineteenth century independence struggles against the British Empire. The independence movement split on the question of the rights of India's Muslims. The Sangh organizations distrusted the Muslim leaders and felt that too many concessions were being made to a minority.
Sangh organisations have also been strongly anti-Communist, anti-socialist, and pro-business. They are considered to be on the political "right" wing.
Allegations against Sangh
Some early Sangh members were admirers of Hitler. Anti-Hindutva activists charge that today's Sangh is still fascist.
Nathuram Godse, Mohandas Gandhi's assassin, is said to have been a member of the Sangh. The Sangh denied this and the Supreme Court of India also ruled out Sangh's involvement in the assassination.
The Sangh Parivar is also alleged to have played an important role in the 2002 Gujarat violence, during which many Muslims were killed in riots. This issue is still controversial and hotly disputed.
Sangh organizations
Sangh Parivar organisations as of 2005 include:
- Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Bajrang Dal (BD)
- Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
- Swadeshi Jagran Manch