Bharatiya Janata Party

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; Indian People's Party) is a political party that promotes Hindu nationalism. BJP members increased their political influence and gained international attention in the 1990s, when they worked with their partner organizations the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in implementing mass-scale rituals and politicized processions over the building of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. These activities fostered popular support for the BJP in various regions of India. The processions also provoked violence between Hindus and Muslims. Currently, the party strives to promote a more moderate image by stressing economic reform and national security.

The BJP was established in 1980 as the successor of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS). The BJP promulgates two political ideologies: integral humanism and Hindutva. Considered the guiding philosophy of the BJP, integral humanism advocates the formation of a harmonious society through an “integrated” vision of life guided by the ancient culture of India. Hindutva is a nationalist [Page 141]ideology that promotes governing based on Hindu culture and values. The BJP is critical of the secular policies of the Congress Party.

In 1991, the BJP became the largest opposition party by doubling its seats in Parliament. These gains were attributed to religious agitations over the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Party leaders promulgated the belief that the Babri Masjid (“mosque”) was built over the birthplace of Ram, a Hindu deity. In conglomeration with the VHP and RSS, the BJP conducted a series of rath yatras, which were well-orchestrated religious processions. The BJP leader L. K. Advani posed as Ram while riding in a vehicle modeled after the god's chariot. The processions marched through various politically strategic locations and often provoked riots between Hindus and Muslims. BJP members were also involved in a rally that culminated in the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992.

Striving to expand its base, the BJP began to distance itself from the VHP and RSS and even shunned the militant propaganda that propelled the party to power in 1991. The BJP won the most seats in Parliament in 1996 (161 of 545) but fell short of the majority and failed to form a coalition government. Gaining additional seats in 1998 and 1999, the party successfully formed a government with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as prime minister. The BJP advanced policies of economic reform, promoted globalization and foreign investment, and sought to stabilize relations with neighboring Pakistan. In 2002, BJP members were accused of complicity in the communal violence that erupted in Gujarat. The BJP lost the 2004 elections to the Congress Party.