Posted on 06/25/2017 5:19:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
In Faridabad on New Delhi's outskirts, about 20 men have gathered pre dawn, for yoga and patriotic rituals.
As the sun rises, there's a militaristic feel — brandishing bamboo poles, the group chants "Bharat mata ki jai" (Victory to India).
This is a branch meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — a right-wing Hindu-nationalist organisation aligned to India's ruling Bharatiya Janata party.
Among this group, there's strong support for Donald Trump's confrontational approach to Islamic terrorism.
"Many Muslim countries engage in acts of terrorism which is harmful for India," engineering consultant Kushal Pal tells the ABC.
"India is suffering from terrorism and [US President Donald] Trump is against the terrorism therefore he is favourable for India."
India has long accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism along the two countries' disputed border.
Also among the group is Dr Pradeep Kumar, an electrical engineering professor at Faridabad University.
"Our interests are converging," he said.
"Be it in the field of defence, be it in the field of culture, be it in the field of politics, all the interests are converging."
Shared worldview?
As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Washington for his first meeting with Mr Trump, New Delhi's foreign policy establishment also hopes Mr Trump will be more inclined to favour India over Pakistan, America's often erstwhile ally in the war on terror.
That expectation is due in part to one speech he gave to Indian Americans during last year's campaign.
"If I am elected president, the Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House, that I can guarantee you," Mr Trump said last October, going on to praise India in the fight against terror.
One area where observers do believe the United States will want to work with India, Japan and Australia is in balancing China's growing influence in the Indian Ocean.
"It's an imbalanced economic relationship, and there are looming security concerns that are not being addressed," said Dhruva Jaishankar, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institute, referring to India's relationship with China.
"So I think India will largely welcome some of what's being talked about by Trump and his advisers."
Like Donald Trump, some of the RSS's views are controversial.
The organisation's belief in Hindu superiority is viewed suspiciously by India's minorities, especially Muslims, who accuse the organisation of inciting religious hatred and violence.
But these men say they're not violent, and argue it is unfair to portray them as responsible for the acts of vigilante groups.
"Actually opposition parties, they link the RSS with politics for their own gains. But it is not true," Kushal Pal said.
With his stated intention to put America first, the conservative nationalists of the RSS also see in Donald Trump what they admire in their own Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
"I think Trump is a copy of Mr Modi," 45-year-old IT Teacher Sanjay Saha tells the ABC.
But Mr Saha acknowledges that nationalistic approach is likely to hurt some Indians as well.
Similar domestic agendas likely to clash
Donald Trump and Narendra Modi's political similarities mean conflicting objectives — most notably their respective quests to encourage more domestic manufacturing.
Prime Minister Modi has been slowly chipping away at his nation's notorious bureaucracy in a bid to lure foreign companies to set up in India — but that's not a pitch likely to find favour with Donald Trump.
Mr Trump has also had India's IT outsourcing giants in his sights over the tens of thousands of Indian workers they bring into the United States each year.
They're bracing for a further crackdown on America's equivalent of the 457 skilled immigration visa, a program India's biggest tech companies use to supply their American operations with cheaper workers.
The industry is a major Indian source of income and pride, but Mr Trump sees jobs Americans could be doing instead.
Mr Trump and Narendra Modi do share many political traits, but competing agendas mean sharing success will be harder.
The Hindu radicals believe in eugenics and have in the past been violent with Christians in India. Since guns are not common over there, other kinds of assault, like throwing acid in the face, are preferred. And they are not averse to stoning or fire bombing trains full of people of the other religions.
I do not know specifics of this particular group, but I would not be aligning with them.
They have muslims, pushing pushing, always pushing. And there’s a dark history of forced conversions by missionaries there, and that may be reflected in their relations with Christians.
Make Hinnduism great again?
“Conservative Hindu Nationalists” are anti-Christian - at times worse than the Muslims in India. Not good folks.
Correct. These are no allies of ours. They kill Christians such as destroy whole churches in Orissa State with worshippers still inside. They have set whole train carriages on fire and chain locked them closed burning to death hundreds of Muslims including kids. Not my ideal.
Hmm. Well speaking as a Christian, I am not sure I agree that violence committed by self-styled Christians had much to do with their relationship with God. The other pagan religions don’t have too many personal restraints in that area. The Hindus and Muslims are both willing to kill family members who accept Jesus Christ.
You are correct. During the Clinton admin, it was the Muslim countries who were in line with our Christian NGO’s when it came to holding the line on the UN promoting abortion and “alternative” lifestyles. I think we can perhaps all on certain. issues, but these Hindu nationalists are a bit like Indian Nazis. no thanks.
auto complete messed up my post.
meant to say we can ally with certain groups for certain things. I would not align with this Hindu nationalists bunch
Historically true. The Tiger Legion (officially Indische Freiwilligen Legion der Waffen-SS) was part of the Nazi SS; Subhas Chandra Bose, Hindu nationalist leader was involved in its establishment. 
Bose and Himmler. Image courtesy of Bundesarchiv.
I remember reading something about that years ago...perhaps it was on my mind when I posted. In any event, thanks for the info. Years ago, an Indian colleague overseas told me that in the town he came from, they practiced eugenics. I don’t recall the details but remember feeling a bit shocked to hear that
That’s a completely new one on me. I’m only familiar with Bose’s “Indian National Army” that accompanied the Japanese General Renya Mutaguchi on his ill-fated attempt to invade India through Burma in 1943-44.
Eugenics?
As a Hindu, I find that laughable.
The history of Christians’ aggressive conversion tactics in India is not a pretty one.
Bulls***.
Comparing Hindus to Moslems is insane and stupid. Hindus NEVER EVER slaughtered Christians as a policy as Moslems have done for 1400 years.
You have no clue. None.
Moslems slaughtered literally MILLIONS of Hindus over hundreds of years, what to speak of the enslavement, looting, raping, torture. The only reason there are moslems in India and what used to be India is because of forced conversions.
You have Not One Clue.
Do you have any idea of the history of the moslem invasions in India?
It seems a lot of people on FR have no clue about Hinduism beliefs, practices or the history of India.
Oh well. People who want to learn, will. Those who don’t want to learn, won’t.
I had a Hindu in India tell me exactly that. And let’s keep this in context, we are talking about the extreme nationalists. See the other post in regards to their alliance with the Nazis in WW2.
What do you mean by aggressive? Was anyone assaulted for refusing to hear the Gospel? Do you think Christians have as much religious freedom in India as Hindus have here in the USA?
Are you ignorant, or are you a shill for the militant Hindoos?
Killing priests, raping nuns, breaking the bones of young children, burning Christians alive. That your idea of good clean sport?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-32062692
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Orissa:-Hindu-extremists-burn-one-nun-alive,-rape-another-13056.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/19/orissa-violence-india-christianity-hinduism
https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/04/19/latest-attack-on-christians-in-india-confirms-climate-of-fear/
Bose was an Indian independence leader, but you can’t classify him as a Hindu nationalist. Nearly all of his political beliefs were communist/extreme left. His first choice was to curry favour with Stalin. He turned to the Nazis only after being rebuffed by Stalin.
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