Sagar Sanyal
Indian politics is dominated by the personality of Narendra Modi. Since his re-election in 2019, there has been a steady erosion of democracy and an increase in state and mob violence towards India’s 195 million Muslims. But Modi, and the government he leads, cannot be understood without looking at the growth of the powerful National Volunteer Organisation (RSS), an extra-parliamentary fascist movement of 4 million active members. The RSS is rooted in Hindutva, an extremist Hindu nationalist tradition which has had links with European fascism since the 1920s. This session will discuss the politics behind the rise of fascism in India today.