"Challenges to India's Secular Democracy and Economic Progress Under Modi's Leadership"

The rise of violent Hindu nationalism in India, culminating in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's open rejection of secularism, has been a century-long process fueled by politicians using religion for electoral gain. The upcoming consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya symbolizes the fusion of executive power with Hindu religion, reflecting the culmination of a vision forged by Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. This rise of Hindutva has been marked by political violence, intolerance, and the erosion of secular ideals, with Modi promoting a Hindu theocratic state and the normalization of Hindutva's hard edge in politics and culture.