It Ain’t the Only One

In the past I’ve mentioned that Russia is powerfully irredentist. To save you the trouble of looking it up, that means advocating the return of territories that formerly belonged to it. As this article by Sushant Singh at Foreign Policy reminded me, Russia ain’t the only country that is powerfully irredentist:

For decades, India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—the Hindu nationalist organization with close links to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—has put forward the idea of Akhand Bharat or an “unbroken India.” The proposed entity stretches from Afghanistan on India’s western flank all the way to Myanmar to the east of India as well as encompassing all of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has mentioned the idea: In a 2012 interview, when he was still the chief minister of Gujarat, he argued that Akhand Bharat referred to cultural unity.

Last month, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat told a public gathering that India will become Akhand Bharat in 10 to 15 years, providing the first timeline for a Hindu nationalist pipe dream. Besides heading the RSS, Bhagwat is a very powerful figure in today’s India because of his personal relationship with Modi. The BJP is one of a few dozen institutions that comes under the direct control of the RSS, which now holds the most power since it was founded in 1925. Modi was a full-time RSS campaigner before it assigned him to the BJP, and he considers Bhagwat’s late father to be a mentor. Indian corporate leaders and foreign diplomats recognize Bhagwat’s clout, visiting him at RSS headquarters in Nagpur, India. His words must be engaged with seriously, not dismissed offhand as the fantasies of an old man.

The idea of Akhand Bharat is a core tenet of Hindutva ideology, a century-old doctrine of Hindu nationalism. Now, with its own map and nomenclature, it is being taught to students in RSS-run schools across the country.

Such an aspiration places today’s India in head-to-head conflict not just with Pakistan and Bengladesh but, since India and Pakistan are among the very largest Muslim countries, with all of Islam. India’s ambitions might extend as far as Malaysia and Indonesia, the largest country with a Muslim majority.

There are other irredentist countries, Poland, for example. And then there’s China. Both India and China claim Tibet as part of their rightful territories.

I’m curious as to how India would accomplish the extension of its boundaries to include the farthest extent of its ancient empire but Mr. Singh does not enlighten us on that.