I became aware of the Hindu Right wing's fascination for Hitler when i saw the Hindi version of 'Mein Kampf', Hitler's autobiography prominently displayed in a Hindi language bookshop in Connaught Place in the late 1980s. On enquiry, the person manning the shop said those sympathetic to the Hindu Right bought the book in large numbers.
Over the years, the utterances of the hydra headed organizations of the Hindu Right periodically reminded me of how close they seemed to Hitler's exhortations.. But I did not have time to investigate further on this.. Today however I chanced upon this 2012 article in the International Business Times : Hindu Nationalist’s Historical Links to Nazism and Fascism ... Very revealing.. It characterizes the 'Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) (as) a group that espoused openly militant Hindu activism and the suppression of minorities in India.'
The article goes on to say : 'Perhaps there was no greater admirer of Hitler and Mussolini in India than Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, another leading member of RSS. In a speech delivered in 1940 (after the Second World War had commenced), Savarkar said: 'There is no reason to suppose that Hitler must be a human monster because he passes off as a Nazi or Churchill is a demigod because he calls himself a Democrat. Nazism proved undeniably the savior of Germany under the set of circumstances Germany was placed in.' Savarkar criticized Nehru for his staunch opposition to fascism.'
Over the years, the utterances of the hydra headed organizations of the Hindu Right periodically reminded me of how close they seemed to Hitler's exhortations.. But I did not have time to investigate further on this.. Today however I chanced upon this 2012 article in the International Business Times : Hindu Nationalist’s Historical Links to Nazism and Fascism ... Very revealing.. It characterizes the 'Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) (as) a group that espoused openly militant Hindu activism and the suppression of minorities in India.'
The article goes on to say : 'Perhaps there was no greater admirer of Hitler and Mussolini in India than Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, another leading member of RSS. In a speech delivered in 1940 (after the Second World War had commenced), Savarkar said: 'There is no reason to suppose that Hitler must be a human monster because he passes off as a Nazi or Churchill is a demigod because he calls himself a Democrat. Nazism proved undeniably the savior of Germany under the set of circumstances Germany was placed in.' Savarkar criticized Nehru for his staunch opposition to fascism.'
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