Kashmir speech | Did Amit Shah invoke ‘Akhand Bharat’ narrative?

“The definition of our country written in history during British rule was wrong because of their lack of knowledge. The existence of all nations of the world is geopolitical. They are formed by boundaries, as a result of either a war or an agreement.

"India is the only nation in the world that is geo-cultural, boundaries are defined because of culture. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, ‘Gandhar’ (modern-day Afghanistan) to Odisha and Bengal to Gujarat, we are connected because of our culture. Those who define a country as something geopolitical cannot define our country," Shah said at a book release event.

India, Indians'

Shah went on to say that Kashmir is named after Sage Kashyap, a Hindu saint. In a veiled reference to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), he said the Narendra Modi government is determined to "reclaim what has been lost.”

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“From the Silk Route to Central Asia and from Shankaracharya temple to Hemis monastery; and from trade to spirituality, strong foundations of both are present in and of Kashmir's culture,” Shah said while defending the BJP government’s abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

He was releasing a book titled Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh: Through the Ages, by the Indian Council of Historical Research.

The Home Minister’s thrust on his pet notion – that India is not marked by geographical borders and stretches beyond designated boundaries – seemed indicative of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar’s enduring faith in its idea of an Akhand Bharat and resolve to achieve the long-term agenda of establishing an “undivided India”.

What is Akhand Bharat?

The Sangh Parivar believes that the current Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Tibet were part of a 'Greater India' in the olden times.

The call for an Akhand Bharat was first propounded in 1937 by Hindu Mahasabha leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Achieving it has been one of the major goals of the Sangh Parivar since the pre-Independence era.

While leaders of Hindu nationalist organisations including the RSS, the Hindu Mahasabha, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, have renewed their calls for an Akhand Bharat time and again, unwitting statements and policy decisions by the Narendra Modi government have indicated that it is still a top priority for the BJP.

CAA, Article 370 part of the agenda

Even though those in the government have been careful in using the term, the agenda it carries has nonetheless been broadcast to the public, couched in statements praising India’s rich and ancient culture.

Shah in his speeches has often reiterated his stand that India is not defined by its geographic borders – a clear message that the BJP believes in the notion of an “undivided India”.

In an interview with ANI in March 2024, Shah, while justifying the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and why it was not applicable for Muslims, had said that its main aim was to give refuge to “people who were part of Akhand Bharat”. “It is our responsibility to give refuge to people who were part of Akhand Bharat and who have been religiously persecuted,” he had said.

While the Narendra Modi government considers the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A in Jammu and Kashmir as a major step towards safeguarding Indian territory from Pakistan occupation, many BJP leaders have hinted it as starter for the BJP’s Akhand Bharat goal.

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Shah, while lauding the decision by the NDA government in 2019, has said that “abrogation of Article 370 and 35A is a big milestone for the unity and integrity of India and now there is no impediment.”

Unwitting statements, sinister goals

Chest-thumping statements and slip of tongues by senior BJP leaders over the years, have hinted that the government may be actually mulling expansionist policies.

In in September 2023, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, while backing the Centre’s revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, had said that “Prime Minister Modi has been working as a torch-bearer to fulfil Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s dream of Akhand Bharat.”

"The soil where this great leader was born is literally turning into mini Pakistan. It was Mookerjee who ensured that parts of West Bengal and Assam do not get included in East Pakistan," he had said.

Before he was sworn in July 2021, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami raked up a massive controversy after social media users drew attention to a map of Akhand Bharat along with an image of ‘Bharat Mata’ that he had shared in a social media post in 2015.

In 2021, then BJP general secretary Ram Madhav had stated that the Sangh Parivar believes that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh would be reunited by “popular goodwill” for the creation of an ‘Akhand Bharat’.

Parliament mural row

A major controversy erupted in June 2023 when a mural displaying a purported map of an “undivided India” was put up in the new Parliament complex, much to the chagrin of Opposition and neighbours of India.

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"The resolution is clear, Akhand Bharat,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had posted on X, inviting more criticisms for the government.

The governments in Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh sought an explanation from New Delhi on why their territories were shown as a part of the map. The Ministry of External Affairs has clarified that the mural depicts the ancient Ashoka Empire.