Organizations
Hindutva is commonly identified as the guiding ideology of the Sangh Parivar, a family of radical Hindu Nationalist organizations, and of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in particular. In general, Hindutvavaadis (followers of Hindutva) condescendingly believe that they represent the well-being of Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Ayyavazhi, Jainism and all other religions prominent in India.
Most nationalists are organized into political, cultural and social organizations - using the concept of Hindutva as a political tool to mislead the common voter. The first Hindutva organisation formed was the extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1925. A prominent Indian political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (BJP) is closely associated with a group of organisations that advocate Hindutva. They collectively refer to themselves as the "Sangh Parivar" or family of associations, and include the RSS, Bajrang Dal and the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Other organisations include:
- Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh - Overseas branch of the RSS
- Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh - Worker's Union
- Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad - A Student's Union
- Bharatiya Kisan Sangh - A Farmers' organisation
The major political wing is the BJP which was in power in India's Central Government for six years from 1998 to 2004 and is now the main opposition party. In May 2012 it was in power in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka. It is an alliance partner in the states of Punjab, Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand.
Political parties pertaining to the Hindutva ideology are not limited to the Sangh Parivar. Examples of political parties independent from the Sangh's influence include Prafull Goradia's Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Uma Bharti's Bharatiya Janshakti Party. The influence of these groups is relatively limited.
The controversial Maharashtrian political party, the Shiv Sena, converted its ideology to the Hindutva one in recent times. It has been very influential in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The party is not part of the Sangh Parivar but is associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Similar is the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is a Sikh religious party but maintains ties with Hindutva organizations, as they also represent Sikhism.
[[Dr.Rajeev Menon Ji Maharaj, National President of Hindu Mahasabha is Active in South Indian States like Karnataka Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively.
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