Peter Sammons considers ambitions to reclaim the past. Part 3 of 3 – India.
7 May 2025 India launched missile strikes on Pakistan, in response to the Pahalgam attack on 22 April by militants in Indian administered Kashmir which had killed 26 civilians. That attack intensified tensions between India and Pakistan as India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, which Pakistan denied. The military exchange persisted for three days at a low level, and marked the first drone battle between the two nuclear-armed nations. Interestingly, in Britain there was a virtual news blackout of the skirmish for fear of fanning communal tensions within UK.
Our world faces at least three national leaders who want to take their countries back to what they perceive as ‘halcyon’ days. President Putin (Russia), President Erdo?an (Turkey), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (India). Their overlapping ambitions, supported by much of their ‘electorate’ (sic) appear to affirm the Bible’s view of the world in its end-game. We look at the three in turn. Finally, Modi and India.
Reestablish?
Narendra Modi’s actions over the past decade point toward a deliberate objective to create a Hindu-dominant state, drawing symbolic and strategic connections to the Mughal Empire, particularly in its governance structure and civilizational mission.
While the Mughal Empire, historically Muslim, was characterized by pluralistic governance incorporating Hindu elites and culture, Modi’s vision represents a departure – advocating for a state where Hindu identity and values take primacy, a Hindu reassertion over India’s multi-religious, multi-ethnic society. By promoting religious nationalism, undermining secular principles, and invoking both historical and cultural elements that hark back to Mughal rule, Modi’s agenda is shaping India into a state that seeks to build upon the old Mughal empire’s territorial and cultural expansiveness while prioritizing Hindu cultural supremacy.
Modi, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been at the helm of Indian politics for the last decade, steering the country toward an agenda steeped in Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism. This vision, while ostensibly aimed at asserting the cultural and religious identity of India’s Hindu majority, subtly draws from the imperial legacy of the Mughal Empire—particularly its ability to establish governance across a diverse subcontinent. Although the Mughals were Muslim, their empire was marked by strategic alliances with Hindu elites, patronage of Hindu culture, and the complex management of India’s multi-ethnic, multi-religious society.
Hindutva – State and Religion
Modi’s tenure has been marked by the transformation of Hindutva into a core state ideology, reflecting a deliberate push to redefine India as a nation where Hindu values and identity dominate public life:
*Cultural and Religious Nationalism: Modi’s government consistently seeks to reshape India’s political and social fabric through a Hindu nationalist lens. The Ghar Wapsi campaigns (homecoming), promoting the reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, and the encouragement of Hindu religious symbolism in public spaces exemplify the effort to establish Hindu identity as synonymous with Indian identity.
*Exclusion of Religious Minorities: A series of actions—including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC)—has targeted Muslim and Christian communities, a move interpreted by critics as an attempt to marginalize non-Hindu populations and establish a framework for Hindu majoritarianism.
*Rise of Hindu Religious Figures in Politics: Modi’s political style, which often involves public participation in Hindu religious festivals (e.g., Ganga Aarti, Diwali celebrations), reflects his deep connection to Hindu spiritual practices. The BJP’s strategy of promoting Hindu religious figures, along with the strategic alliance with religious leaders like Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, further strengthens the ideological underpinnings of a Hindu-dominant state.
Mobilization of religion to create a national identity closely parallels the way the Mughals governed—a Muslim ruling class with a policy of strategic inclusion of Hindu elites and the use of cultural patronage to maintain loyalty and stability among the majority population.
Nationalism through Historical Narrative
One of Modi’s most significant contributions has been his attempt to reinterpret India’s history, positioning Hinduism as the central narrative while diminishing Muslim and Christian contributions to India’s history. Historical revisionism has multiple facets:
*Iconoclasm and Cultural Reclaiming: The Babri Masjid demolition, followed by the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, is emblematic of Modi’s push to reclaim spaces once associated with Islamic rule. The mosque itself was built during the Mughal era and was the site of one of the most contentious and symbolic battles for Hindu identity. Modi has publicly supported this “reclamation,” casting it as a return to Hindu sovereignty over sacred sites once under Islamic control.
*Reinforcement of Hindu Heroes: Modi’s government has emphasized the heroic narrative of Hindu kings and leaders who resisted Mughal imperialism, such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Rani Durgavati. By elevating such figures, Modi is reinforcing the idea that the true heart of Indian history is defined by Hindu rulers and heroes, while the Mughal Empire is increasingly portrayed as an oppressive, foreign rule.
*Partition Legacy: Modi has also minimized the painful legacy of the 1947 partition and the Muslim-Hindu divide, using this narrative to justify policies aimed at reasserting Hindu dominance. The shift away from secularism echoes a desire to “heal” or “correct” what some Hindu nationalist groups see as the country’s 70-year-long mistake of equating India with secularism.
This historical reframing echoes the Mughal Empire’s own selective incorporation of India’s pre-Islamic, Hindu cultural legacy into their rule. The Mughals, despite being Muslims, actively patronized Hindu art, architecture, and religion. Modi’s agenda, however, signals a shift toward prioritizing Hindu culture, asserting that Hinduism is the true legacy of the subcontinent.
Hindutva and State Building
Modi’s economic and social policies also reflect a broader vision of Hindu state-building, drawing from the Mughal Empire’s model of integrating a vast and diverse empire under a strong centralized state, though with a distinctly Hindu cultural focus:
*Centralization of Power: Modi’s government has sought to centralize power in the Prime Minister’s office, diminishing the authority of state governments and opposition parties. The implementation of sweeping reforms, such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetization, show a strategy of top-down governance.
*Religious Patronage and Welfare Schemes: Modi’s economic policies often favor Hindu religious organizations. His government has provided funding for religious pilgrimages, such as the Kumbh Mela, and Hindu religious bodies. At the same time, schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) are framed in cultural terms, aiming to “cleanse” and “purify” the nation not just physically but spiritually—a concept rooted in Hindu cosmology.
This mixture of governance, social policy, and religious patronage echoes the Mughal strategy of using state resources to enhance religious and cultural authority, though the emphasis in Modi’s case is on Hindu supremacy rather than Muslim pluralism.
Lift up your heads ……
Prime Minister Modi’s actions over the past decade suggest a clear and concerted effort to create a Hindu-dominant state, both politically and culturally aligned with the values of Hindutva.
Much of what we have explored in this three part series is being said by political commentators and historians. We have ignored China in this series, but the parallels with Putin, Erdogan and Modi are shared by President Xi of China. What the emerging autocracies, and established autocracies, remind us is that our Lord Jesus warned of ‘kingdom against kingdom, and ethnic versus ethnic (Matthew 24:7 ; Mark 13:8). Revelation warns of a King of the North, a King of the South, and a King of the East. It seems likely that India, along with Russia and Turkey (and China?) will have active involvement in end time military and power-politics maneuverings.
We know that Mankind seeks to build for himself a ‘name’ (Genesis chapter 11). Today this continues to be reflected in megalomaniac ambitions of some national leaders, and often their peoples at the populist level. What may be different today, however, is that their actions can have global consequences and they are armed with weapons that essentially know no limits in destructive potential.
Open, pluralist democracy is in decline and westerners have grown ‘fat and lazy’, unwilling to stand up for their own cultures. Arguably democracy depends on Christianity, or to be more specific, on the Judeo-Christian worldview and narrative. As the democracies decline, so megalomaniac autocracies gain confidence and ambition.
“When you hear these things ……” [ Luke 21:28 ]. Do not be dismayed, God is in ultimate control.
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Peter Sammons book “Last Days and End Times – What Jesus Says About The Future” looks in detail at what the Bible reveals of Man’s heart, and our collective futures: https://christian-publications-int.com/Last_Days_and_End%20Times.html
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Four years ago we asked if India is headed towards State failure. Those questions remain: https://christiancomment.org/2021/09/01/india-failed-state/
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On sectarian tensions in India: https://www.mercatornet.com/in_india_religion_is_the_demographic_hot_button
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