Role of diaspora in furthering India’s religious nationalism globally

The celebratory atmosphere that engulfed India following the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on January 22 was met with mixed reactions, particularly regarding its implications for India’s minorities under the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government. This article seeks to delve into the foreign policy dimension, examining how India strategically employed diaspora engagement as a critical tool to garner global legitimacy for its brand of religious nationalism.

A pivotal aspect of this legitimisation lies in the directives issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to its various missions, instructing them to organise events tied to the consecration ceremony. These events not only actively engaged the Indian diaspora, but also attracted participation from foreign ministers and industrialists, lending a voice of international legitimacy to the Indian government’s perspective. Notably, this outreach extended beyond neighbouring countries with shared cultural heritage linked to Ram. For instance, in New Zealand, Minister of Ethnic Communities Melissa Lee and Minister for Regulation David Seymour attended the Pran Pratishtha ceremony hosted by the Indian consulate in Auckland.

This global outreach underscores the government’s effort to project its religious nationalism as a global phenomenon, garnering support from various quarters.

Furthermore, in the lead-up to the inauguration of the Ram temple, newly-elected Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav said, “If God wishes, ‘Akhand Bharat’ will be formed again, if not today, then tomorrow; not only up to Sindh or Punjab but even till Afghanistan.” He also added that the Ram temple is the first step towards a Ram Rajya and a possible recovery from the losses made by India after Partition in 1947. This statement by Yadav reaffirms Madhya Pradesh BJP President V D Sharma’s speech wherein he outlined that if given a chance, the saffron party will change India’s geography.

Such statements from crucial stakeholders within the ruling party bounds a parallel between India’s religious nationalism and Israel’s Zionism –– Jewish religious movement for a Jewish national state in Palestine. Unlike India, Israel does not find its diaspora upholding the Zionist viewpoint on a global scale as seen recently when several Jewish bodies condemned actions of Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

This lack of global support by its diaspora and governments across the world for the Zionist outlook resulted in the UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/3379 which determined Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination. On the other end, India’s Hindutva which is central to the country’s religious nationalism has also been termed as ‘racist supremacism’, yet India manages to cleverly camouflage its religious nationalism under the blanket of cultural tolerance and evading the similar level of scrutiny faced by Zionism.

Moreover, Hindu religious organisations with international presence such as Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) play a key role in taking forward India’s religious outlook in foreign soil. The BAPS temple to be inaugurated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on February 14 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a key example. BAPS, over the years has built several temples across the world, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Building a temple in a Muslim-majority State has been termed by the UAE ambassador to India as a milestone for religious tolerance; however, looking at the situation within India and how sections of religiously-charged communities in the country treat minority populations, we need to rethink whether India’s religious nationalism is truly based on tolerance.

There is an innate relationship between the presence of large Indian diaspora and Hindu temples being built abroad, to cater the religious needs of the Indian population overseas. Thus, the Indian diaspora and internationally present Hindu religious organisations have played the key role of preventing global criticism on the adverse impacts of India’s religious nationalism and statements on ‘Akhand Bharat’ across the public sphere, and within forums such as the UN Human Rights Council, adding another element to India’s saffronisation of its foreign policy.

India's adept use of diaspora engagement as a tool for global legitimacy showcases the intricate interplay between domestic religious nationalism and international outreach. As India navigates this delicate balance, it remains to be seen how the world views the nation's brand of religious identity on the global stage in the coming years.

(Arkoprabho Hazra is manager at Aakhya India. X: @ArkoprabhoH.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.