Opportunistic engagementHindutva’s engagement with regional politics has been opportunistic, historically. Vajpayee — the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Telugu Desam Party, the National Conference, and Trinamool Congress (TMC) sat well with it at various points. The cultural elites of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal resist Hindutva, though Assam might be a different story. Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, and now Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. Tolerance of sub-nationalisms within an overarching Indian nationalism has been the familiar strategy of Congress politics for long.

Source: The Hindu May 26, 2021 18:33 UTC