Punjab : relocations of Hindutva in a Sikh majority state

Singh, David and Moliner, Christine (2025) Punjab : relocations of Hindutva in a Sikh majority state. Forum for Development Studies. ISSN 1891-1765

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Abstract

In this article, we assess the current standing, strategies and potential future trajectory of Hindutva in Punjab, the only Sikh majority state in India. Sikhs constitute 55% of the population in Punjab but only 1.7% of the population in India as a whole. As we show later, this complex majority-minority situation has been decisive in shaping the nature of Punjab's/Sikhs' relationship with the central government in Delhi and the Indian nation as a whole, as well as with other religious communities and movements and, not least, with the dominant form of communal and ethno-nationalist Hindutva. Through an analysis of some of the current dynamics of this majority-minority situation, we argue that the future of Hindutva and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Punjab seems to be a complicated and insecure one; importantly, it is also one that is likely to be grounded in further political polarization and radicalization, as well as in Hindu nationalist mobilization around the projection of an imagined ‘Khalistan threat’ within and outside the Punjab. Our argument is that both for historical reasons and due to the strong anti-Hindutva sentiments that consolidated during the Indian farmers' protest from 2020 onwards, Punjab remains a particularly challenging terrain for Hindutva. The BJP's recent rise in the state can be explained by multiple factors, including growing disaffection with the two other parties attracting urban Hindu votes, the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Aam Admi Party (AAP). However, we contend that playing up the ‘Khalistan threat’ remains a privileged tool in the hands of the Sangh Parivar because it offers a symbolic resource that can be mobilized regionally, nationally, and internationally. In Punjab, this discursive strategy serves to delegitimize Sikh dissent and reinforce Hindu majoritarian narratives.

Below, we first briefly review the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab. We then introduce the socio-political context of the state before we discuss Hindu nationalist constructions of Sikhs and Sikhism. By unpacking the majority-minority relationship further, we then analyze current Hindu nationalist strategies for consolidation, stressing particularly the intimate intertwinement of this kind of politics with new forms of neo-Panthic politics and Sikh nationalism.Footnote1 In the conclusion, we take stock of where new oppositional forces capable of mounting a pushback against Hindutva may emerge from.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Social Sciences and humanities > Arts and Humanities > Religious studies
Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Political Science
Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Cultural Studies
JGU School/Centre: Jindal School of International Affairs
Depositing User: Mr. Gautam Kumar
Date Deposited: 09 Jul 2025 06:43
Last Modified: 09 Jul 2025 08:47
Official URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08039...
URI: https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/9802

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