The policy of the Bharatiya Janata Party, 1980 and 2008 possible influence of Hindu nationalism on Indian politics

Abstract

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is one of the few Indian political parties which contest nationwide. Its Hindu nationalistic appeal changed over time. In 1998, the BJP gained power and formed a coalition to rule India. Against some expectations, it did not transfer its Hindu nationalistic ideology into practice when it came to domestic and international politics. This thesis answers the question of which factors affected the behavior of the BJP and influenced the BJP's policy. It argues that the BJP did not change its basic Hindu nationalistic character. It is still a political party with nationalistic party identity. But, political diversity of India led to an adjustment of enforceable political goals and the development of a flexible policy to gain political power. India's federal system, in combination with the trend towards factionalism, led to the necessity of coalition building among political parties. Thus, even the BJP had to use tactical shifts to partly moderate its rhetoric, along with other strategies in different states, to build coalitions with different political parties.