Sangh Parivar

Sangh Parivar
Name	Sangh Parivar
Founded	1925
Founder	K. B. Hedgewar
Location	India
Type	Confederation

Sangh Parivar

The Sangh Parivar is a loose family of organizations in India rooted in the ideological project initiated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and associated with figures such as K. B. Hedgewar, M. S. Golwalkar, V. D. Savarkar, Deendayal Upadhyaya and institutions including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Jan Sangh and Hindutva-aligned bodies. The network spans political, cultural, educational, labor, student, youth, religious, professional and charitable wings that operate across states such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and West Bengal, interacting with actors like Jawaharlal Nehru-era institutions, Indian National Congress, All India Muslim League-era debates and contemporary platforms including Parliament of India politics and civil society contests.

History and Origins

The origins trace to the founding of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Nagpur in 1925 by K. B. Hedgewar amid debates involving the Indian independence movement, Indian National Congress leadership, the legacy of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and responses to movements such as the Khilafat Movement and Non-cooperation Movement. Influential thinkers like V. D. Savarkar and later ideologues such as M. S. Golwalkar and Deendayal Upadhyaya shaped the ideological synthesis invoked against colonial-era and postcolonial institutions including the Constituent Assembly of India and interactions with policies framed by leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The group consolidated via the Bharatiya Jana Sangh formation in 1951 under figures like Syama Prasad Mukherjee and evolved into the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980 with leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L. K. Advani driving political expansion.

Organizational Structure and Key Member Organizations

The Parivar is a federative constellation centered on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh with major affiliates including the Bhartiya Janata Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and Seva Bharati. Other notable bodies include the Bharatiya Vichara Kendra, Sangh Educational Trust-linked institutions, the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, RSS Volunteer Wings and state-level outfits active in districts and municipal bodies across Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Affiliated professional groups involve the Bharatiya Sena, Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad alumni networks and cultural organizations tied to personalities like M. S. Golwalkar and organizational leaders such as Mohan Bhagwat and predecessors who interfaced with leaders in state governments like Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh.

Ideology and Goals

Core aims reflect the vision articulated in texts and speeches by V. D. Savarkar, M. S. Golwalkar, Deendayal Upadhyaya and policy formulations advanced during Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi eras, emphasizing notions derived from Hindutva and cultural nationalism as articulated against legacies of British Raj polity and competing narratives from the Indian National Congress and Communist Party of India. Goals include promoting cultural projects linked to sites such as Ayodhya and institutions like Ram Janmabhoomi, reforming laws including discussions around the Uniform Civil Code, and influencing public policy in arenas that interact with bodies such as the Supreme Court of India and state legislatures in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

Political Influence and Electoral Activities

Political influence materialized through the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and later the Bharatiya Janata Party, with electoral strategies shaped during campaigns like the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the Ayodhya dispute, and national contests such as the 1996 Indian general election, 1998 Indian general election and 2014 Indian general election. Leaders associated with the Parivar, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L. K. Advani, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, have held central roles in the Parliament of India, state chief ministerships in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and in shaping coalition dynamics with parties like the Janata Dal and Shiv Sena. The network engages in cadre mobilisation during elections, policy advocacy in assemblies such as the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, and campaign narratives that contest platforms of the Indian National Congress, Trinamool Congress and left parties including the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Social and Cultural Programs

Affiliated bodies run programs in education, health, disaster relief and rural development through institutions linked to the Seva Bharati, Vishwa Hindu Parishad camps, RSS shakhas and charities operating in regions like Assam, Punjab and Rajasthan. Initiatives involve collaborations with hospitals, schools, vocational training centers and temple restoration projects associated with sites such as Kashi Vishwanath and cultural festivals in cities like Varanasi and Prayagraj. The Parivar also operates student wings such as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and labor wings such as the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh to project influence in professional associations, university campuses including Banaras Hindu University and trade union arenas historically occupied by groups like the Indian National Trade Union Congress.

Controversies and Criticisms

The grouping has faced criticism and legal scrutiny in contexts including the Babri Masjid demolition and ensuing Ayodhya dispute, allegations of communal polarization during episodes in Gujarat (notably the 2002 Gujarat riots), and debates over minority rights involving communities such as Indian Muslim and Christian populations. Critics ranging from scholars at institutions like the Jawaharlal Nehru University to parties such as the Indian National Congress and Left Front have contested aspects of the Parivar's strategies, citing incidents involving activists, litigation in the Supreme Court of India, and legislative campaigns over issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act and cultural education in state boards like the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education.

Influence Abroad and International Connections

The network projects influence through diaspora bodies such as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and connects with organizations in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia where chapters engage with centers like the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago and community groups in London and Toronto. International criticism and support have appeared in forums involving foreign governments, human rights NGOs and academic centers such as Harvard University and University of Oxford, while transnational linkages intersect with global debates on religious nationalism comparable to movements in countries like Turkey, Israel and Russia.

Category:Organisations based in India