ISLAMABAD: Among 240 Members of Parliament (MP) from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a notable 36 are intricately connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an India-based religious extremist outfit.
Many of these politicians have been exposed to RSS ideology since childhood, receiving formal training that has shaped their political outlook, reveals a recently-released special study conducted by the Indian Study Centre (ISC) of Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI).
Prominent among the leaders who were trained by RSS are: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. They all embarked on their political paths as members of this influential group.
The Special Study titled ‘Quantifying Electoral Politics of Congress and BJP,’ authored by ISC Director Dr. Khurram Abbas, alongside researchers Maheen Shafeeq and Usama Hameed.
The study states that 11 of the 30 Union Ministers in Modi’s current cabinet continue upholding formal ties with the RSS, highlighting the significant sway that RSS ideology holds over government policies and legislative actions, weaving its principles into the very fabric of India’s political landscape.
This groundbreaking research—the first of its kind in Pakistan on the 18th Lok Sabha—offers a comprehensive analysis of political trends in India through quantification of the newly-elected MPs from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the leading opposition party Indian National Congress (INC) on various indicators like caste, religious affiliation, wealth status, and familial roots in the country’s politics.
This study focused on various aspects of Indian politics. The study conducted in-depth assessment of profiles of 240 MPs of the BJP and 99 MPs of Congress to identify their wealth status, religious affiliations, caste and their relation to dynastic politics.
The study found that contrary to the BJP’s incessant narrative that Congress is a party of the elite, the BJP itself has wealthier MPs than the Congress. Moreover, the study debunked BJP’s claims of being a party of the deprived and found that the BJP represents India’s religious and economic elite in the Lok Sabha.
Although Congress has nearly half of MPs hailing from dynastic backgrounds, the BJP also has at least a quarter of its members from political/dynastic backgrounds.
One of the most prominent findings of the report was the reaffirmation of electoral marginalisation of religious minorities of India (especially Muslims and Christians), which is leading to their socio-economic and political disenfranchisement and dispossession.
It also highlights that contrary to its recent efforts to reach out to the lower caste Hindus, the BJP is pre-dominated composed of upper caste Hindus, who in turn, protect and advance the socio-economic interests of their communities, depriving marginalised sections of even basic rights.
While around 20 per cent of Congress MPs enjoy an upper caste status, more than half of the BJP MPs are from the upper caste.
The Indian Parliament has largely failed to generate a substantive and meaningful debate on the under-representation of minorities’ issues and adopt decisive policy measures to decelerate the implementation of a majoritarian agenda.
According to the study, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign last year largely revolved around spreading disinformation and fear among Hindu majority with reference to Muslims and opposition parties.
During his nationwide election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered 173 speeches, at least 110 of which contained remarks perceived as Islamophobic, seemingly aimed at discrediting his political opponents.
Modi frequently stoked fears among Hindus by making unsubstantiated claims that their faith, places of worship, property, land, and the safety of girls and women would be at risk from Muslims if opposition parties came to power.
Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) Ambassador Sohail Mahmood while sharing his thoughts on the finding highlights that the 2024 elections in India were particularly noteworthy for their scale and political implications. With over 969 million eligible voters, the elections spanned seven phases, making them the longest in Indian history.
He observes that while the BJP pursued aggressive campaigning with slogans like “Abki Baar 400 Paar,” their performance reflected a decline in dominance, securing 240 seats compared to 303 in 2019.
This contrasted with notable resurgence for the Congress, which gained official opposition status after a decade.
Mahmood emphasises that India’s democratic identity is increasingly influenced by socio-political inequalities stemming from the ages-old oppressive caste system and class stratification.
He notes that the blending of India’s democratic ethos with a Hindu nationalist agenda entails serious concerns internationally, with scholars characterising it as ‘ethnic’ or ‘illiberal’ democracy and even entities like the V-Dem Institute classifying India as an “electoral autocracy.”
Khalid Rahman, Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), offers a thought-provoking critique of India’s electoral landscape, questioning whether its self-proclaimed title of the “largest democracy” genuinely reflects democratic values or merely serves as a polished image.
He points to systemic pitfalls like the manipulation of voter registrations, the stifling of civil society groups, and a revamped appointment process for the Chief Election Commissioner that tightens executive grip on elections. These issues, he argues, cast doubt on India’s dedication to the democratic ideals it often champions.
Ambassador Babar Amin amplifies concerns about the systematic marginalisation of minorities under BJP governance, emphasising that religious minorities are particularly at risk.
He warns about the overwhelming influence of wealth in Indian politics, where affluent elite dominates decision-making process, resulting in policies that benefit the rich while deepening social divides.
The interplay of economic power and political decisions leaves many vulnerabilities in its wake.
