Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 16:09, 9 December 2013

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) No issues specified. Please specify issues, or remove this template. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Template:Hindu politics The Bharatiya Janata Party (pronunciation;; translation: Indian People's Party; abbreviated BJP) is one of the two major parties in the Indian political system, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in parliament and in the various state assemblies.

The Bharatiya Janata Party designates its official ideology and central philosophy to be "integral humanism", based upon a 1965 book by Deendayal Upadhyaya. The party is labelled as "Hindu nationalist", and advocates social conservatism, self-reliance as outlined by the Swadeshi movement, and a foreign policy centred on key nationalist principles. The party's platform is generally considered to be on the right-wing of the Indian political spectrum.

The BJP led the national government along with a coalition of parties of the NDA from 1998 to 2004, with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister, thus making it the first non-Congress government to last a full term in office. Since its election defeat in the 2004 general elections, the BJP has been the principal opposition party in parliament.

History

Bharatiya Jana Sangh (1951–1977)

The Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), popularly known as simply the Jana Sangh, was founded by Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1951 in response to the secular politics of the dominant Congress party. Widely regarded to be the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, its aims included the protection of India's "Hindu" cultural identity, and what it perceived to be the appeasement of Muslims and Pakistan by the Congress and Jawaharlal Nehru.

The first major campaign of the Jana Sangh was an agitation demanding the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir into India. Mookerjee was arrested for violating orders preventing him from leading the protest in Kashmir, and died in jail a few months later, of a heart attack. The leadership of the organization devolved onto Deendayal Upadhyaya, and eventually next generation leaders such as Vajpayee and Advani. However, the vast majority of the party workers, including Upadhyaya, were still adherents of the RSS. Despite the momentum gained through the Kashmir agitation, the Jana Sangh won just three Lok Sabha seats in the first general elections in 1952. It maintained a minor presence in parliament until 1967. During this period, a uniform civil code for all Indians, banning the killing of cows, and abolishing the special statues given to Jammu & Kashmir were among the main points on the party's agenda.

After nationwide assembly elections in 1967, the party entered into a coalition with several other parties, including the Swatantra Party and the socialists, and formed governments in various states across the Hindi heartland. This marked the first time that the Jana Sangh had held political office, albeit within a coalition. The constraints of coalition politics also caused the shelving of the Sangh's more radical agenda.

Janata Party (1977–1980)

In 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a state of emergency over the country. The Jana Sangh took part in the widespread protest that followed, and thousands of its members joined the host of other agitators in jails across the country. In 1977, the emergency was rescinded and general elections were held. The Jana Sangh merged with a host of other parties, including the Socialist part and a breakaway faction of the Congress to form the Janata Party, which contested the election with its main agenda being the defeat of Indira Gandhi.

The Janata Party won a huge majority in 1977 and formed the government with Morarji Desai as prime minister. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had become the leader of the Jana Sangh after Upadhyaya's death in 1967, was appointed the external affairs minister in the new government. However, disagreements over the sharing of power between the various factions of the new party plagued the Janata government, and after two and a half years in power Desai resigned from his position. This precipitated the disintegration of the Janata party. After a brief period of coalition rule, general elections were held in 1980.

BJP (1980–present)

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

One of the new parties that emerged from the breakup of the Janata Party in 1980 was the Bharatiya Janata Party. Although technically distinct from the Jana Sangh, the bulk of its rank and file were identical to its predecessor, and Vajpayee was appointed its first president. Historian Ramachandra Guha writes that despite the factional wars within the Janata government, its period in power saw a rise in support for the RSS, marked by a wave of communal violence in the early 1980s. Despite this rise in support, the BJP initially moderated the Hindu nationalist stance of its predecessor, in order to gain a wider appeal. This strategy was unsuccessful, as the BJP won only two Lok Sabha seats in the elections of 1984. The assassination of Indira Gandhi a few months prior to the election also contributed to the low tally, as the Congress won a record number of seats.

The failure of the moderate strategy championed by Vajpayee led to a shift in the ideology of the party toward a policy of more hardline Hindutva and Hindu fundamentalism. In 1984 Advani was appointed president, and under him the BJP became the political voice of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. In the early 1980s, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had begun a campaign for the construction of a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Rama at the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The agitation was on the basis of the belief that the site was the birthplace of Rama, and that a temple once stood there that was demolished by the Mughal emperor Babur when he constructed the Babri mosque. The BJP threw its support behind this campaign, and made it a part of their election plank. On the strength of the movement the BJP won 86 Lok Sabha seats in 1989, a tally which made its support crucial to the National Front government of VP Singh.

In September 1990, Advani began a "rath yatra" to Ayodhya in support of the Ram mandir movement. The riots caused by the yatra led to Advani's arrest by the government of Bihar, but a large body of 'kar sevaks' or Sangh Parivar activists nonetheless reached Ayodhya, and attempted to attack the mosque. This resulted in a pitched battle with the paramilitary forces that ended with the death of several 'kar sevaks'. The BJP withdrew its support to the V.P. Singh government, leading to fresh elections being called. In these elections the BJP once again increased its tally of seats to 120, as well as winning a majority in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.

On 6 December 1992, the RSS and its affiliates organised a rally involving thousands of VHP and BJP activists at the site of the mosque. Under circumstances that are not entirely clear, the rally developed into a frenzied attack that ended with the destruction of the mosque. Over the following weeks, waves of violence between Hindus and Muslims erupted all over the country, killing over 2000 people. The VHP was briefly banned by the government, and many BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani were arrested briefly for provoking the destruction. Several prominent historians have stated that the demolition was the product of a conspiracy by the Sangh Parivar, and not merely a spontaneous act. In the parliamentary elections in 1996, the BJP capitalized on the communal polarization that followed the demolition to win 161 Lok Sabha seats, making it the largest party in parliament. Vajpayee was sworn in as Prime minister, but was unable to cobble together a majority in the Lok Sabha, and had to resign after 13 days.

A coalition of regional partied had formed the government in 1996, but this grouping was short lived, and mid-term polls were held in 1998. The BJP contested the elections leading a coalition called the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which contained its existing allies, the Samata Party, the Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiv Sena, in addition to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Biju Janata Dal. Among these regional parties, the Shiv Sena was the only one which had an ideology similar to the BJP; Amartya Sen, for example, called the coalition an "'ad hoc'" grouping. Nonethless, with outside support provided by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the NDA could muster a slim majority, and Vajpayee returned as prime minister. However, the coalition ruptured in May 1999 when the leader of AIADMK, Jayalalitha, withdrew her support, and fresh elections were again held.

On 13 October 1999, the BJP-led NDA riding on a wave of popularity, following victory in the Kargil war and major public support for Vajpayee, won 303 seats. The BJP alone had its highest ever tally of 183. Vajpayee became prime minister for the third time, and Advani became the deputy prime minister and Home Minister. This NDA government lasted its full term of five years. Vajpayee and his economic team, led by Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha continued the policies initiated by the previous Congress government under P. V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.

The BJP and the NDA met with an unexpected defeat in the 2004 general elections, and failed to muster a parliamentary majority. Dr. Manmohan Singh of the Congress Party and United Progressive Alliance succeeded Vajpayee as prime minister.

In May 2008, the BJP won the state elections in Karnataka. This was the first time that the party had won Assembly elections in any south Indian state. In the 2013 assembly election of Karnataka, BJP again faced major defeat and lost its only south Indian state government to Congress party. In the 2009 general elections its strength in the Lok Sabha was reduced to 116 seats.

In general elections

Year	General Election	Seats Won	Change in Seat	% of votes	votes swing
Indian general election, 1980	7th Lok Sabha	12	12	8.75%	8.75
Indian general election, 1984	8th Lok Sabha	2	10	7.74%	1.01
Indian general election, 1989	9th Lok Sabha	85	83	11.36	3.62
Indian general election, 1991	10th Lok Sabha	120	37	20.11	8.75
Indian general election, 1996	11th Lok Sabha	161	41	20.29	0.18
Indian general election, 1998	12th Lok Sabha	183	21	25.59%	5.30
Indian general election, 1999	13th Lok Sabha	189	6	23.75	1.84
Indian general election, 2004	14th Lok Sabha	144	45	22.16%	1.69
Indian general election, 2009	15th Lok Sabha	116	22	18.80%	3.36

Ideology and political positions

The BJP is a political party that espouses integral humanism and Hindutva, which it describes as cultural nationalism which is dedicated to a harmonious society as opposed to Hindu nationalism. It supports strong national defence policies.

Hindutva

This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The BJP expresses a commitment to Hindutva, an ideology developed by Hindu politician Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. It asserts that Hindutva is cultural nationalism, which favours India's heritage, civilisation and culture over Westernisation. While critics allege that the party is antagonistic to religious minorities, the BJP asserts that cultural nationalism naturally extends to all Indians, including Muslims and Christians.

The BJP in turn accuses the Congress party of allegedly employing so-called "pseudo-secular" political tactics that included giving preferential treatment and appeasement of Muslims and other minorities at the expense of Hindus. The BJP criticises Congress and other opponents for allegedly exploiting minorities and India's lower caste communities by taking their votes for granted

Atal Bihari Vajpayee considered the European concept of "secularism" inappropriate for his interpretation of Indian culture, and places it in opposition to the BJP's version of Mohandas Gandhi's doctrine of Sarva Dharma Sambhava, which the BJP considers as a traditionalised Indian form of secularism. He describes the Indian secular as follows:

Mahatma Gandhi describes the correct attitude towards religion as 'Sarva Dharma Sambhava', equal respect to all religions. The concept of 'Sarva Dharma Sambhava' is somewhat different from European secularism, which is independent of religion ... We may say that the Indian concept of secularism is that of Sarva Dharma Sambhava ... Sarva Dharma Sambhava is not against any religion. It treats all religions with equal respect. And, therefore, it can be said that the Indian concept of secularism is more positive.

The concept of Integral Humanism has always been a pivotal element of the BJP's ideology, the party's considerably right-wing stance comprises some aspects of modern conservatism, social conservatism, progressivism and enlightened nation, drawing much of the party's ideology from India's ancient culture and values, a major source of guidance for the BJP. As per the party's constitution, the objectives of the party are explained thus:

"The party is pledged to build up India as a strong and prosperous nation, which is modern, progressive and enlightened in outlook and which proudly draws inspiration from India's ancient culture and values and thus is able to emerge as a great world power, playing an effective role in the community of nations for the establishment of world peace and a just international order. The Party aims at establishing a democratic state which guarantees to all citizens irrespective of caste, creed or sex, political, social and economic justice, equality of opportunity and liberty of faith and expression. The Party shall bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established and to the principles of socialism, secularism and democracy and would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India."

The BJP supports the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya at the site of the Babri Mosque. It advocates banning the killing of cows since the cow is considered as one of the Hindu Gods (in line with conservative Indian belief) and promotes the teaching of Indian cultural subjects in schools and colleges. During the Vajpayee government (1998-04), Education Minister Murli Manohar Joshi ordered the incorporation of Vedic astrology as a subject in college curriculum and ordered other controversial changes to history curriculums determined by the NCERT.

Some members of the BJP-led Government of Karnataka have recommended the teaching of the Hindu holy book, the Bhagavad Gita in schools. The BJP also supports banning religious conversions and generally opposes Muslim and Christian missionary activities. Although the BJP asserts that it respects the Constitution of India and secularism, some BJP leaders have called for a constitutional amendment that declares India a "Hindu Rashtra" (Hindu Nation).

On India's founding fathers, the BJP has expressly criticised India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, for his fabian socialism, pro-Muslim bias and mistakes in resolving the Kashmir dispute. The BJP has praised the role of India's first home minister Vallabhbhai Patel in unifying the country. Despite the fact that the BJP officially commemorates Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, and has Narendra Modi as a prominent leader in the party, it is often criticised as a party of the Hindu upper castes.

The BJP has been affected by the various criticisms against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which has been criticised for being anti-Muslim, fascist in nature and for encouraging communal conflict. The BJP's affinity towards the ideologies of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar has been equated with criticism of Mohandas Gandhi, and allegations against the RSS that it endorsed Gandhi's killing have also impacted the BJP. While the RSS strongly denies these allegations, it has often criticised Gandhi for appeasement of Muslims and for consenting to the partition of India. However, the BJP vehemently denies being anti-Gandhi or anti-Muslim, defends its ties with the RSS and in turn criticises its political opponents with allegations of appeasement and exploiting the votes of minorities and lower castes.

Economic policies

The BJP and its predecessors opposed Marxism and the socialist economic policies of the Congress party, which has ruled the Republic of India for most of its history. However, it espoused Swadeshi, or the promotion of indigenous industries and products as opposed to foreign imports and the establishment of friendly trade relations with foreign nations, thus remaining protectionist. During its tenure, the Vajpayee government continued the free-market reforms and economic liberalisation that was initiated in 1991, and oversaw a period of rapid economic growth after years of stagnation.

Concurrently, the BJP-led government invested in major infrastructure development projects such as the Golden Quadrilateral network of national highways and launched a major effort to attract foreign investment and introduce free trade. Despite the emergence of a burgeoning middle-class, the BJP lost the 2004 elections over criticism that it neglected the needs of India's poor in favour of Indian industrialists and mercantile classes.

Defence and terrorism

This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The BJP is seen as supporting a strong national defence policy, which includes a modernisation of India's armed forces and a strong nuclear deterrence. It supports the full integration of Jammu and Kashmir into India by revoking its "special status" granted in the Indian constitution.

The Vajpayee government oversaw Pokhran-II - five nuclear tests in May 1998 and the tests of multiple ballistic missile systems. The Vajpayee government also ordered the Indian armed forces to take all measures to expel Pakistani infiltrators who had occupied territory in Indian administered Kashmir, in what became known as the Kargil War. Although the Vajpayee government was later criticised for the intelligence failures that failed to detect Pakistani infiltration, the decisive response and success of military operations bolstered its popularity and image of toughness on national security. After the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, Prime Minister Vajpayee ordered the mobilisation of India's armed forces along India's border with Pakistan, but tensions were later defused.

In response to the December 2001 terrorist attacks on the Indian Parliament, the BJP-led government passed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), which significantly expanded the scope of intelligence operations and the authority of police forces to detain suspects. The measures were criticised by the Congress and other opposition parties, which criticised the law as targeting India's Muslims. As a result, a joint session of Parliament had to be called to enable the bill to pass. It was later repealed by the Congress-led government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The BJP has continually criticised the Congress government's response to terrorist attacks perpetrated in India as being weak and ineffectual.

Foreign policy

This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Historically, the BJP has criticised the Congress-led governments that brought India closer to the Soviet Union and the Communist bloc, although technically non-aligned. During its tenure, the Vajpayee government oversaw major improvement in Indo-U.S. relations, precipitated by the 2000 visit of U.S. President Bill Clinton to India. After the September 11th attacks, India expanded its cooperation with the United States in fighting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and in turn received greater investment, trade and military aid.

Although expected by most observers to take a hardline approach in foreign policy, the Vajpayee government took steps to improve relations with India's traditional rivals, Pakistan and the People's Republic of China. In 1998, Vajpayee made a landmark visit to Pakistan, inaugurating the Delhi-Lahore Bus service. Although the Lahore Declaration was signed to improve relations in the aftermath of the 1998 nuclear tests, Pakistan's infiltration into Kashmir was discovered only three months later.

After several years of hostility and tensions, Vajpayee again initiated a peace process in 2002 by inviting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to Delhi and Agra, but talks were inconclusive. In 2003, Vajpayee renewed the peace process over Kashmir by calling a ceasefire by Indian security forces and initiating talks with Pakistan again.

Party structure

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The highest authority in the party is the president, and the constitution of the BJP provides for a three-year term for that office. In recent times, both Venkaiah Naidu and LK Advani have resigned before the completion of their respective terms, due to factionalism and controversies. Rajnath Singh held the post from 2006 to 2009, when he was succeeded by Nitin Gadkari.

Working under the president are several vice-presidents, general-secretaries, treasurers and secretaries. The national executive consists of a variable number of senior party leaders from across the nation, who are the highest decision-making body in the party. At the state level, a similar structure is in place, with every state unit being led by the respective president, who also officially serves a three-year term.

The rank-and-file leadership of BJP is largely derived from the members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates. It also maintains friendly relations and links with other Sangh Parivar organisations, such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (an organisation promoting economic protectionism).

Other groups directly affiliated with the RSS include the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is the students' wing of the RSS, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, their farmers' division, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, which is their labour union, and the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad, their Advocate/lawyer's Association.

BJP also maintains the BJP Mahila Morcha, which is its women's division, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, its youth wing, the BJP Minority Morcha, its Minority division and many other similar organisations, including the BJP Legal & Legislative Cell.

The BJP in various states

As of December 2013, the BJP has a majority of assembly seats in five states: (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Rajasthan and Goa). In two other states — Punjab and Nagaland — it shares power with other political parties of the NDA coalition. The BJP has previously ruled Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka, as well as Odisha, and Jharkhand as part of coalition governments.

List of current NDA Chief Ministers

BJP

• Dr. Raman Singh - Chhattisgarh
• Manohar Parrikar - Goa
• Narendra Damodardas Modi - Gujarat
• Shivraj Singh Chauhan - Madhya Pradesh
• Vasundhara Raje -Rajasthan

Allied Parties

• Parkash Singh Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal) - Punjab
• Neiphiu Rio - Nagaland*

List of presidents of the party

Year	Name		Rationale
1980–1986		Atal Bihari Vajpayee
1986–1991		Lal Krishna Advani	First Term
1991–1993		Murli Manohar Joshi
1993–1998		Lal Krishna Advani	Second Term
1998–2000		Kushabhau Thakre
2000–2001		Bangaru Laxman
2001–2002		Jana Krishnamurthi
2002–2004		Venkaiah Naidu
2004–2006		Lal Krishna Advani	Third Term
2006–2009	File:Rajnath Singh.jpg	Rajnath Singh	First Term
2009–2013	File:Nitin gadkari (1).jpg	Nitin Gadkari	First Term
2013 – present	File:Rajnath Singh.jpg	Rajnath Singh	Second Term

Controversies

Tehelka Arms deal

In 2001, Bangaru Laxman, then the BJP president, reportedly accepted a bribe of ₹1 lakh (equivalent to ₹4.0 lakh or US$4,800 in 2023) to recommend to the Defence Ministry for supply of hand-held thermal imagers for the Indian Army, from Tehelka journalists, who, posing as arms dealers, filmed him in a fake arms deal operation. He was then forced to resign as party president, in accordance with BJP policies, and a criminal case commenced against him. In April 2012, he was sentenced to four years in jail.

Liberhan Commission findings

A 2009 report, authored by Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, claimed that 68 people were responsible for the demolition of the mosque in Ayodhya, who were mostly leaders from the BJP and a few bureaucrats. Among those named in the reports were Vajpayee, the former BJP prime minister and Advani, the party's then (2009) leader in parliament. Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during the mosque’s demolition, has also come in for harsh criticism in the report. He is accused of posting bureaucrats and police officers who would stay silent during the mosque’s demolition in Ayodhya.

Former Education Minister in NDA Government Murli Manohar Joshi has also been found culpable in the demolition in the Liberhan Commissions' Report. Anju Gupta, an Indian police officer appeared as a prosecution witness. She was in charge of Advani's security on the day of the demolition and she revealed that Advani and Joshi made inflammatory speeches.

References

1. "List of Political Parties and Election Symbols main Notification Dated 18.01.2013" (PDF). India: Election Commission of India. 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
2. "Congress stumbles as Narendra Modi marches on". Business Today. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
3. ^ Philosophy - Bhartiya Janta Party | BJP Philosophy | Integral Humanism | Hindutva. Bjpindia.in. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
4. ^ Integral Humanism and the BJP. Centreright.in. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
5. Jaffrelot, Christophe (2007), Hindu Nationalism: A reader, Princeton University Press, p. 20
6. Zavos, John (2005), "The shapes of Hindu nationalism", Coalition Politics And Hindu Nationalism, Routledge, p. 36
7. Varshney, Ashutosh (25 June 2012), "The right turn for BJP", The Indian Express, retrieved 1 January 2013
8. Stein, Burton; Arnold, David (2010), A History of India (Second ed.), Wiley-Blackwell, p. 410
9. Halarnkar, Samar (13 June 2012), Narendra Modi makes his move, BBC News, The right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's primary opposition party
10. DiSilvio, Joseph D. (2007), "Rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India" (PDF), The Orator, 2 (1), The rise of the BJP and other right-wing Hindu nationalist political parties... {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
11. Brekke, Torkel (2012), Fundamentalism: Prophecy and Protest in an Age of Globalisation, Cambridge University Press, pp. 128–131
12. Mitra, Subrata K. (2005), "The NDA and the politics of 'minorities' in India", Coalition Politics And Hindu Nationalism, Routledge, p. 82
13. Lakshmi, Rama (9 June 2013). "India's nationalist opposition names controversial Hindu leader to lead campaign". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 June 2013. India's Hindu nationalist opposition party on Sunday named controversial and polarizing leader Narendra Modi to head its campaign for the 2014 national elections...
14. Oza, Rupal (2012), The Making of Neoliberal India: Nationalism, Gender and the Paradoxes of Globalisation, Routledge, p. 83
15. Sagarika Dutt. India in a Globalised World. Manchester University Press. p. 64. BJP is a right wing party and gives priority to the unity of the country.
16. Manini Chatterjee. 1994 South Asia Bulletin, Vol. XIV No. 1 (1994) The BJP: Political Mobilisation for Hindutva "The BJP was and remains a right wing party"
17. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199546091.001.0001/acref-9780199546091-e-1270 World Encyclopedia Publisher: Philip's Published to Oxford Reference: 2004 Current Online Version: 2012 eISBN 9780199546091 "Broadly right-wing, the BJP is in favour of the creation of a Hindu state, Hindustan."
18. "Does India Still Need a Hindu Nationalist Party? A look at the future prospects of India's controversial right-wing politicians". Foreign policy. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
19. Noorani, A. G. (1978). "Foreign Policy of the Janata Party Government". Asian Affairs. 5 (4): 216–228. JSTOR 30171643. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
20. ^ Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. India: Macmillan. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-330-39610-3.
21. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. India: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-39610-3.
22. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. India: Macmillan. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-330-39610-3.
23. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. India: Macmillan. p. 428. ISBN 978-0-330-39610-3.
24. Guha, Ram (2007). India After Gandhi. MacMillan. pp. 538–540.
25. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. MacMillan. pp. 563–564.
26. Malik, Yogendra K. (1992). "Bharatiya Janata Party: An Alternative to the Congress (I)?". Asian Survey. 32 (4): 318–336. Retrieved 8 December 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
27. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. MacMillan.
28. Malik, Yogendra K. (1992). "Bharatiya Janata Party: An Alternative to the Congress (I)?". Asian Survey. 32 (4): 318–336. Retrieved 8 December 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
29. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. MacMillan. pp. 582–598.
30. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. MacMillan. pp. 633–659.
31. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. MacMillan. pp. 582–598.
32. Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. MacMillan. pp. 633–659.
33. Keith Jones (9 October 1999). "Hindu chauvinist-led coalition to form India's next government". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
34. Sen, Amartya (2005). The Argumentative Indian. Penguin. p. 254.
35. "Rediff on the NeT: TDP helps Vajpayee wins confidence vote". Rediff.com. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
36. India, Russia stand united in defense, By Sergei Blagov, Asia Times, 8 November 2001
37. Timothy Fitzgerald. Religion and Politics in International Relations: The Modern Myth. Continuum, 2011. ISBN 978-1441142900
38. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "The Bane of Pseudo-Secularism". In C. Jaffrelot (ed.), Hindu Nationalism: A Reader. Delhi: Permanent Black, 2007.
39. NDA created jobs, UPA created unemployment. Niti Central. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
40. http://www.firstpost.com/business/how-upas-populism-may-have-entrenched-jobless-growth-576163.html
41. "Bharatiya Janata Party – The Party with a Difference". Bjp.org. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
42. "Akhil Bhratiya Adhivakta Parishad - about".
43. BJP Chief Ministers(Official Website) http://www.bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3263&Itemid=977
44. "Tehelka Sting: After Eleven Years, It Stings To Say This". Outlook (magazine). Retrieved 9 May 2012.
45. Kattakayam, Jiby (27 April 2012). "Bangaru Laxman convicted of taking bribe". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
46. "Tehelka sting: How Bangaru Laxman fell for the trap". India Today. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
47. "Bangaru Laxman convicted for taking bribe". Tehelka. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
48. Uproar over India mosque report: Inquiry into Babri mosque's demolition in 1992 indicts opposition BJP leaders Al-Jazeera English – 24 November 2009
49. In the dock, again, Frontline

External links

• Template:Dmoz

• Use dmy dates from March 2013
• Political parties in India
• Nationalist parties
• Bharatiya Janata Party
• Political parties established in 1980
• Hindutva
• Conservative parties in India
• 1980 establishments in India