Hindu nationalists take long dreamt of a Greater India. They aspire to rebuild a nation matching the size and glory of ancient India – Akhand Bharat (Undivided India) and Hindu Rashtra (Hindu Nation). RSS and BJP leaders have often pushed for these aims much to the chagrin of India's secularists. There is no incertitude both projects are daring and excite many Hindus.

But both are doomed to failure. Recreating Akhand Bharat is unrealistic, and establishing a Hindu Rashtra is ultimately cocky-defeating. Yet, the ambition of creating a Greater India has some chance of success by forming a federation of agreeing nations, a Bharat Mahasangh.

Akhand Republic of india, in its most expansive version, is envisioned to include territories that constituted the 3rd century BC empire of Chandragupta Maurya. This would comprise the modern day nations of Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Burma, Tibet, Kingdom of bhutan and Bangladesh. Ane can immediately come across that such an aggressive projection is a chimera.

Analogy: Ajit Ninan

But RSS and BJP leaders take often spoken about reunifying India with Pakistan and Bangladesh. In 1965, Jansangh passed a resolution that "Akhand India will be a reality, unifying Republic of india and Pakistan." In 2012, earlier coming to part Prime number Minister Narendra Modi clarified his party'southward thinking, that Akhand Bharat "does not mean we wage war on whatsoever state … without war, through popular consent, information technology can happen … We telephone call this Sanskritik Bharat (Cultural Bharat)."

Every bit recently as December 2015, the issue turned into a major controversy. During Modi's surprise visit to Pakistan, BJP national secretary Ram Madhav declared that "RSS still believes that ane day [Pakistan and Bangladesh] will once more, through popular goodwill, come together and Akhand Bharat will be created." BJP quickly distanced itself from Madhav's argument.

Today, remarkably, both BJP and RSS have abandoned the goal altogether. Akhand Bharat finds no mention in the mission statements of either group. A inkling equally to why was provided by Modi in his 2012 interview: "It will but be practiced for Islamic republic of pakistan when they become a function of united India … if Pakistan, People's republic of bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hindustan become one, then the Muslim majority will increase and information technology will exist easier for Hindustan to become an Islamic country."

Now, making India a Hindu Rashtra is the nationalists' limited new objective. "Our one supreme goal is to bring to life the all-round celebrity and greatness of our Hindu Rashtra," says the current RSS mission statement. Terminal year 150 Hindu outfits met in Goa to discuss plans for a Hindu Rashtra by 2023.

Hindu Rashtra is easy to declare simply its pitfalls are menacing. The chief danger is that it would plough India into a theocratic state like to Pakistan. Information technology would weaken our national unity, encourage fissiparous tendencies, cause greater internal strife, and hurt India's image. Ironically, it would harm the spirit, practice and reputation of Hinduism, the one affair the move'southward proponents want to showcase the virtually.

Even more importantly, Hindu Rashtra would forever impale the dream of establishing India as Vishwa Guru, a world leader. No sovereign nation would enter a union or follow India on a principle other than genuine secularism.

Hindu nationalists are going past two theories behind their push for Hindu Rashtra. 1, Hinduism is inherently secular, hence India won't become another Islamic republic of pakistan. And two, when Indian Muslims realise they must cower earlier the wishes of the majority, communal strife would finish. But religious fervour is a terribly glace gradient, every bit we take seen recently in mob lynchings by moo-cow vigilantes and open murders in the proper name of checking love jihad. We must think how religious hatred took over Indians' sanity during Segmentation.

Surely, Hindu nationalists don't wish to create an India where a segment of the population lives in constant fright, equally aliens. To a Muslim, or a Parsi, or a Christian, a Hindu Rashtra would never be his nation. Also, do we want an Republic of india, an age-sometime civilisation famous for its diversity and tolerance, to have to explain to the globe how it is different from other religion-based countries, such as Pakistan, Iran, or Kingdom of saudi arabia?

Hindu nationalists tin turn bluish in their face trying to tell the globe that Hindu Rashtra is based on Hindutva and hence not Hindu. But nobody is going to buy it. Hindutva is too intertwined with the religion of the majority. And on the footing, it has become merely as fanatical as other religions.

Building a Greater India requires a more innovative approach. It would take to exist envisioned along the lines of the European Matrimony or U.s.a. of America, as a federation of sovereign states coming together voluntarily for greater common welfare.

Such a Bharat Mahasangh would take to be based on principles of liberty, egalitarianism, individualism and laissez-faire. Its structure must provide local autonomy with federal administration of specific duties delegated by member states.

Bharat Mahasangh would have to be rooted in genuine secularism. Not today's pseudo multifariousness that allows governments to freely interfere and engage with religions. But one that provides for full freedom of religion with strict separation of church building and state.

Granted, at first Bharat Mahasangh may attract just Hindu-minded states, say Nepal and Bhutan. But if structured and pursued properly, information technology could interest neighbouring Buddhist-minded states of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. In its full glory, Mahasangh could even attract Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

If Greater India is our dream nosotros must take realistic steps towards it.

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Views expressed above are the author's own.

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