Hindutva thought in Indian foreign policy

Hindutva emerges as the most explicit and influential manifestation of Hindu nationalism in modern India; its ideological genesis lies in Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's 1923 conceptualization, while its political mobilization is rooted in the social activism of organisations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Sena. Evolving along the Savarkar–Golwalkar axis, the movement has been characterised by some scholars as a cultural homogenisation project verging on classical fascism, whereas opposing perspectives frame it more as an ultra-conservative or ethno-centric absolutism. This study investigates Indian foreign policy across its historical continuity and demonstrates that Hindutva functions as a "cognitive filter" in decision-making, thereby reshaping the state's strategic culture. The research design is multilayered. The first stage employs historical-institutional analysis to trace the evolution of Indian nationalism and the intellectual origins of Hindutva. The second stage applies discourse analysis to foreign-policy documents, parliamentary debates, leadership statements and media archives in order to uncover how ideological motifs infuse diplomatic practice. The final stage assesses event-driven cases—such as the Israel-Palestine issue, Sino-Indian border disputes, and India's roles within QUAD and BRICS—to examine how Hindutva shapes crisis management and multi-alignment strategies. Theory, practice and discourse thus interlock within a comprehensive methodological framework. Findings coalesce on three analytical planes. First, Hindutva is not merely a domestic identity discourse; it constitutes a hegemonic mind-map that institutionalises the ideal of a "Hindu civilisation-state" and acts as a determinant in foreign policy. This mind-map combines Kautilyan power-balance realpolitik with a claim of cultural superiority, reinforcing the twin codes of Indian diplomacy—universalist moralism and hard-power projection. Second, Hindutva's imprint on policy is neither singular nor linear; it generates a model of strategic multiplicity that simultaneously pursues national pride, strategic autonomy and participation in global governance. The 1998 nuclear tests, the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, dual membership in QUAD and the SCO, and an Indian Ocean-centred naval doctrine exemplify this elastic alliance architecture. Third, while the religious-nationalist rhetoric consolidates domestic legitimacy, it encounters two critical external limits: (i) the tension between pluralist democracy and minority rights, which periodically undermines India's soft-power appeal, and (ii) the balancing act between economic nationalism and integration into global value chains, which tests the aspiration to become a "self-reliant great power". From these observations five forward-looking inferences are drawn. First, ideological continuity across changes of government imparts a stable orientation to Indian foreign policy. Second, the multi-alignment narrative positions India as a swing power within an emerging multipolar order. Third, the trajectory of domestic pluralism will shape the quality of value-based dialogue with Western partners. Fourth, a drift towards protectionism under Atmanirbhar Bharat risks dampening the growth momentum. Fifth, flexibility in climate diplomacy could reconcile Hindutva's conservative ecological stance with the global green consensus, thereby opening new technology partnerships for India. Accordingly, the thesis adds both conceptual depth and empirical breadth to the literature that interrogates the role of ideology in foreign-policy making by offering the case of Hindutva as a richly evidenced exemplar.