Publisher's Synopsis
From two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to 282 in 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party's steady advance over the last 3 decades has been accompanied by the burgeoning of fringe organisations such as the Sri Ram Sene, the Hindu Yuva Vahini, the Sanatan Sanstha and the Hindu Aikya Vedi. They stir up trouble, polarise communites, incite violence and even kill all in the name of Hindutva. There has been little insight into the structure of these organisations and their evolution. How do they germinate? How do they work? How do they tap into local anxieties? Do they function as the shadow armies of the BJP? Do they supply it with foot soldiers? Dhirendra K. Jha seeks answers by investigating 8 such organisations across India.
