India's RSS Marks 100 Years Amid Controversy Over Hindu Nationalism and Minority Rights

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), marking its 100th anniversary, remains a powerful Hindu ultranationalist organization integral to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The RSS promotes "Hindutva," the ideology that Hindus represent India's true national identity, and has faced criticism for marginalizing minorities. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the RSS's student wing, has been implicated in campus violence and intimidation, reflecting a broader decline in democratic discourse within Indian universities under BJP-RSS influence. This situation illustrates the normalization of political violence and suppression of dissent in educational institutions, undermining traditional spaces of critical thinking and debate. Despite the RSS's public rhetoric of inclusion, its actions and affiliated groups have contributed to deepening societal divisions and institutional decay. These developments highlight the challenges faced by India's secular democratic framework amid rising Hindu nationalist assertiveness.