The Long Shadow of Golwalkar and the Making of a Majoritarian Republic

 

The Rise of Golwalkar and the Transformation of the RSS

When Dr K B Hedgewar founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1925 he imagined a disciplined cultural organisation that would uplift a disillusioned Hindu society. But the ideological transformation of the RSS truly began only after his death in 1940 when M S Golwalkar succeeded him as Sarsanghchalak. Hedgewar had prioritised unity self discipline and restrained political engagement. Golwalkar however infused the organisation with a doctrinal clarity that turned the RSS into a structured project of Hindu nationhood. Under him the RSS became a cadre based institution where unity was not a celebration of diversity but a demand for cultural homogeneity. The shakha became the forge where a generation was trained to view India not as a plural republic but as a sacred civilizational homeland of Hindus.

Defining a Hindu Nation Civilizational Identity over Civic Citizenship

Golwalkar’s writings such as we or our nationhood defined and bunch of thoughts placed Hindu identity at the centre of national belonging. He repeatedly argued that minorities could remain in India only if they accepted the cultural supremacy of the Hindu way of life. In his imagination citizenship was not a contract among equals but a system of graded belonging where Hindus claimed cultural primacy while others were expected to assimilate. Religious diversity was not an asset to be nurtured but a deviation to be corrected. The RSS under Golwalkar thus shifted from cultural self confidence to cultural majoritarianism a shift that would later echo through Indian politics long after his death.

Divergence from the Freedom Struggle and Antagonism toward Gandhi

While Jawaharlal Nehru Subhas Bose Sarojini Naidu and countless others mobilised mass movements for independence Golwalkar chose to keep the RSS away from the anti colonial struggle. He believed that strengthening Hindu society internally was more important than confronting the British externally. Critics argued that this posture conveniently shielded the RSS from colonial repression while distancing it from the moral authority of the freedom movement. Golwalkar accused Gandhi of weakening Hindu society by engaging with Muslim leaders and seeking unity through persuasion rather than cultural dominance. The RSS distance from the freedom struggle was therefore not accidental but ideological born of a suspicion that mass nationalism diluted Hindu primacy.

A Warning three weeks before the Assassination

In the winter of 1947 shortly after the bloodshed of Partition M S Golwalkar addressed a gathering where he condemned what he saw as moral weakness and appeasement in national politics. In that fraught atmosphere as Gandhi persisted with his final fasts calling for harmony and the release of withheld funds to Pakistan Golwalkar’s words carried a dark edge. At a public meeting in early December 1947 he declared that certain policies pursued by national leaders were unIndian and satanic and added that we have the means whereby such men can be immediately silenced if they continue to harm Hindu interests.

“On 8 December 1947, RSS chief M S Golwalkar at a rally described certain government and Gandhi-led policies as ‘unIndian and satanic’ and declared that ‘we have the means whereby such men can be immediately silenced’ if they stood in the way of protecting Hindu interests.”

This was not an order nor a call to arms yet the sentiment reflected a deep and open hostility toward Gandhi’s final effort to preserve moral citizenship across faiths. When seen in the hindsight of Gandhi’s assassination only weeks later this remark remains an enduring and troubling reminder of the volatile ideological climate of the time.

Gandhis Assassination the RSS Ban and a Permanent Stain of Suspicion

The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948 intensified scrutiny of this hostility. Though Golwalkar and the RSS were not legally proven to be part of the conspiracy the fact that Nathuram Godse had once been associated with the organisation and had absorbed similar ideological influences cast a long shadow. The government banned the RSS arguing that the ideological poison that had vilified Gandhi could no longer be ignored. The ban was lifted a year later only after the RSS formally declared respect for the Constitution. But this episode left a stain that history has never fully washed away for it raised the question of whether cultural nationalism can slide into moral absolutism where dissent is seen as a threat rather than a voice to be engaged.

Recasting Public Image without Abandoning Majoritarian Ideology

After the ban was lifted Golwalkar worked hard to present the RSS as socially constructive. Educational and charitable work expanded and the language of public statements became more cautious. Yet he never surrendered the idea that India must be rooted in Hindu cultural primacy. Minorities were recognised but their equal belonging remained conditional on acceptance of majority cultural norms. The RSS under Golwalkar mastered the art of balancing constitutional language with a cultural imagination that waited for its political moment.

Golwalkars Legacy in the Modi Era Majoritarian Ideas Enter State Policy

Nearly eight decades later Golwalkar’s influence has travelled from the shakha ground to the centre of power. Narendra Modi a lifelong RSS pracharak articulates a political vision that resonates deeply with Golwalkar’s worldview. Policies such as the Citizenship Amendment Act the promotion of a Uniform Civil Code and the centrality of Hindu cultural symbols in national politics all reflect this continuity. The inauguration of the Ayodhya temple by a sitting Prime Minister blurred the line between state authority and religious symbolism in ways that fulfil long standing RSS aspirations. Critics argue that this represents the political mainstreaming of Golwalkar’s vision turning cultural majoritarianism into the guiding framework of governance.

From Cultural Movement to Political Blueprint The Constitution Reimagined

Golwalkar had criticised the framers of the Constitution for not rooting the document in Hindu philosophical tradition. Today his critiques resurface indirectly through institutional shifts that seek to harmonise state authority with majoritarian cultural norms. Revised textbooks emphasise ancient Hindu achievements national universities are pushed toward cultural revivalism and public rhetoric routinely frames diversity as fragmentation. What was once a cultural mission now appears to many observers as a political blueprint enacted through electoral legitimacy.

Is the RSS Communal The Ideology of Unity through Assimilation

The RSS rejects the label communal and claims it seeks unity. But unity of what kind. When equal citizenship is conditional on cultural assimilation and when plurality is tolerated only if it bows to majority norms unity becomes indistinguishable from a project of majoritarian dominance. The question is not whether the RSS preaches hatred. The deeper question is whether its ideological structure produces exclusion and hierarchy by redefining citizenship through cultural identity rather than equal rights. In this sense the RSS may not call itself communal but its framework inevitably creates communal outcomes because its idea of India is rooted first in culture and only then in citizenship.

Author Introduction

Siddhartha Shankar Mishra is an advocate at the Supreme Court of India and a commentator on law politics and society. His writings blend legal insight with social critique and aim to provoke reflection on power justice and public conscience.