ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the rise in Hindu nationalism since Narendra Modi became prime minister of India. It focuses primarily on Modi’s use of projective identification to target Muslims as the source of what ails Hindus. These nationalists have wanted a Hindu state for many years. When they did not get what they wanted in 1947, they took out their anger on Mahatma Gandhi when Hindu nationalist Nathuram Vinayak Godse assassinated him in 1948. The fervor died down for a while, but it is back with a vengeance. And Modi is largely responsible for that, in part by casting non-Hindus (primarily Muslims) as unworthy of being Indian—a classic case of projective identification. This chapter will examine the Indian political system, even in brief, so that we understand the various players and how populism in India has blossomed. Successful populists often cultivate an outsider personality, someone who is not cut from the same elite political cloth. Modi claims to profoundly understands the needs of the vast populace because he too, is like them.
