Hindu Mahasabha
Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (lit. 'All-India Hindu Grand Assembly') is a Hindu nationalist political party in India.[2][17][18]
Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha
1915 (as organization)
1933 (as political party)[1]
Registered Unrecognised[15]
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Founded in 1915, the Mahasabha functioned mainly as a pressure group advocating the interests of orthodox Hindus before the British Raj and within the Indian National Congress.[2] In the 1930s, it emerged as a distinct party under the leadership of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who developed the Hindutva ("Hinduness") and became a fierce opponent of the secular nationalism espoused by the Congress party.
During the World War II, the Mahasabha supported the British war effort and briefly entered coalitions with the Muslim League in provincial and central councils. After the assassination of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi by Hindu Mahasabha activist Nathuram Godse, the Mahasabha's fortunes diminished in Indian politics, and it was soon eclipsed by the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
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The organisation was originally called Sarvadeshik Hindu Sabha ("Pan-Country Hindu Assembly"). In 1921, it changed to the present name Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha ("All-India Hindu Grand Assembly").[19]
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Antecedents[edit]
Local forerunners of the Hindu Mahasabha emerged in connection with the disputes after the partition of Bengal in 1905 in British India. Under the then viceroy Lord Curzon, the division of the province of Bengal was in two new provinces of East Bengal and Assam, as well as Bengal. The new province of Bengal had a Hindu majority, the province of East Bengal and Assam was mostly Muslim. The division was justified by the British administration for religious reasons.
The formation of the All India Muslim League in 1906[20] and the British India government's creation of separate Muslim electorate under the Morley-Minto reforms of 1909[21] was a catalyst for Hindu leaders coming together to create an organisation to protect the rights of the Hindu community members.[20]
In 1909, Lal Chand and U.N. Mukerji established the Punjab Hindu Sabha ("Punjab Hindu Assembly").[22] The Sabha stated that it was not a sectarian organisation, but an "all-embracing movement" that aimed to safeguard the interests of "the entire Hindu community". During 21–22 October 1909, it organised the Punjab Provincial Hindu Conference, which criticised the Indian National Congress for failing to defend Hindu interests and called for promotion of Hindu-centered politics. In this conference Sabha leaders strongly proposed that Hindus need a separate nation, and the Muslims should not be given any rights in that nation. The Sabha organised five more annual provincial conferences in Punjab.[23]
The development of the broad work for Hindu unity that started in the early 20th century in Punjab was a precursor for the formation of the All India Hindu Sabha. Over the next few years, several such Hindu Sabhas were established outside Punjab, including in United Provinces, Bihar, Bengal, Central Provinces and Berar, and Bombay Presidency.[24]
A formal move to establish an umbrella All-India Hindu Sabha was made at the Allahabad session of Congress in 1910. A committee headed by Lala Baij Nath was set up to draw up a constitution, but it did not make much progress. Another conference of Hindu leaders in Allahabad also took the initial step to establish an All India Hindu Sabha in 1910, but this organisation did not become operational due to factional strife. On 8 December 1913, the Punjab Hindu Sabha passed a resolution to create an All India Hindu Sabha at its Ambala session. The Conference proposed holding a general conference of Hindu leaders from all over India at the 1915 Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.[23]
Establishment[edit]
Preparatory sessions of the All India Hindu Sabha were held at Haridwar (13 February 1915), Lucknow (17 February 1915) and Delhi (27 February 1915). In April 1915, Sarvadeshak (All India) Hindu Sabha was formed as an umbrella organisation of regional Hindu Sabhas, at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. Gandhi and Swami Shraddhanand were also present at the conference and were supportive of the formation of All India Hindu Sabha.[23] The Sabha laid emphasis on Hindu solidarity and the need for social reform.[23]
At its sixth session in April 1921, the Sarvadeshak Hindu Sabha formally changed its name to Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha on the model of the Indian National Congress. Presided over by Manindra Chandra Nandi, it amended its constitution to remove the clause about loyalty to the British and added a clause committing the organisation to a "united and self-governing" Indian nation.[25]
Amongst the Mahasabha's early leaders was the prominent nationalist, educationalist and
four times Indian National Congress president Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, who founded the Benaras Hindu University, the Punjabi populist Lala Lajpat Rai and Lajpat Rai's mentor Navin Chandra Rai[26][27] of the Hindu Samaj who chaired the special Congress session of 1921 held at Lahore which gave the call for non-cooperation. Under Malaviya, the Mahasabha campaigned for Hindu political unity, for the education and economic development of Hindus as well as for the conversion of Muslims to Hinduism.
Indian independence movement[edit]
The Hindu Mahasabha did not unconditionally support the Indian independence movement against British rule in India.[28] However, it became part of movement on its own conditions and with regards to protect the interests of the Hindus. For example, it boycotted the Simon Commission. In the aftermath, it was part of the all party committee, which came out with Nehru report. However, it did not accept the report as according to Mahasabha, it gave too many concessions to Muslims. Similarly, when Mahatma Gandhi observed a fast against Communal Award, Mahasabha worked with Gandhi and other parties to ensure Poona Pact is signed and Depressed Classes are given a fair representation.
Hindu Mahasabha under Savarkar's leadership organized Hindu Militarization Boards which recruited armed forces for helping the British in World War 2.[29]
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