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{{short description|Overview of conservatism in India}}<br />
{{Conservatism sidebar|National}}<br />
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'''Conservatism in India''' refers to the political philosophy which seeks to promote preservation of certain traditional values that are cherished and have developed in the subcontinent of [[India]]. [[Politics in India]] since the 1990s has been predominantly involved with the conflict of the left wing and the right wing of the government machinery.<br />
Historically, Conservatism in India has been divided between [[liberal conservative]]s and [[social conservative]]s.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}<br />
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==Pre-independence==<br />
A number of political parties with conservative ideologies existed in India prior to independence. These included the [[Congress Nationalist Party]],<ref name=beck>{{cite book |last=Beck |first=Sanderson |title=South Asia 1800-1950 |url=http://www.san.beck.org/20-6-LiberatingIndia1934-50.html}}</ref> the [[Unionist Party (Punjab)|Punjab Unionist Party]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Hardy |date=1972 |title=The Muslims of British India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDw4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA234 |publisher=CUP Archive |isbn=978-0-521-09783-3}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2017}}<!-- Hardy p.228 is sufficient to prove existence of the party, but Hardy says nothing about its ideology other than that it was for agrarian reform --> the [[Hindu Mahasabha]] and the [[Shiromani Akali Dal|Akali Dal]].<br />
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In addition, a number of figures within the [[Indian National Congress]], such as [[Sardar Vallabhai Patel]] were conservative.<ref>{{cite book |last=McLeod |first=John |year=2015 |title=The History of India |edition=2nd |location=Santa Barbara, California |publisher=Greenwood |page=139 |isbn=978-1-61069-765-1}}</ref><br />
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In contrast to secular parties, such as the Punjab Unionist Party, Islamic conservatism was used by the [[All India Muslim League]] to pursue their objective of a separate Islamic state.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1080/00856407608730709|title = Relations between the Muslim league and the Panjab national unionist party 1935–47| journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies| volume=6| pages=51–65|year = 1976|last1 = Ali|first1 = Imran}}</ref> (see [[Conservatism in Pakistan#Idea of Pakistan, conception, and conservatism|Conservatism in Pakistan]])<br />
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==Post Independence==<br />
{{main|Swatantra Party}}<br />
The first conservative party to espouse liberal economic ideals in India since independence was the [[Swatantra Party]]. It is a [[Classical Liberal]] party as its principles are based on individual freedom, market-based economy and limited government. It existed from 1959 to 1974. It was founded by [[C. Rajagopalachari]] in reaction to what he felt was the [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]-dominated [[Indian National Congress]]'s increasingly socialist and statist outlook. Swatantra (''Freedom'') stood for a [[market economy|market-based economy]] with the "[[Licence Raj]]" dismantled, although it opposed ''[[laissez faire]]'' policies. The party was thus favored by some traders and industrialists, but at the state-level its leadership was dominated by the traditional privileged classes such as ''[[zamindar]]s'' (feudal landlords) and erstwhile [[princely states|princes]].<ref>[http://www.liberalpartyofindia.sabhlokcity.com/party/21prin.doc The 21 Principles of the Swatantra Party]. 1959.</ref><ref>Erdman, 1963–64</ref><br />
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In the [[1962 Indian general election|1962 general election]], the first after its formation, Swatantra Party received 6.8 percent of the total votes and won 18 seats in the [[third Lok Sabha]] (1962–67). It emerged as the main opposition to the dominant Congress in four states—Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Orissa. By the [[1967 Indian general election|next general election in 1967]], Swatantra had become a significant force in some parts of India; it won 8.7 percent of the votes and became the single-largest opposition party in the [[fourth Lok Sabha]] (1967–71) with 44 seats. In [[1971 Indian general election|1971]], Swatantra Party joined a "Grand Alliance" of parties from across the political spectrum who aimed to defeat Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]]. The party secured eight seats, winning only 3% of the votes. The next year, in 1972, its founder C. Rajagopalachari died, and the party declined rapidly. By 1974, it merged into the [[Charan Singh]]-led [[Bharatiya Kranti Dal]], another coalition committed to anti-Congressism.<br />
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==Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party==<br />
{{main|Bharatiya Jana Sangh|Bharatiya Janata Party}}<br />
The '''Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS)''', commonly known as the '''Jana Sangh''', was an Indian nationalist political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was socially conservative. In 1977, it merged with several other [[Left-wing politics|left]], [[Political centre|centre]] and [[Right-wing politics|right]] parties opposed to rule of the [[Indian National Congress]] and formed the [[Janata Party]]. After the Janata Party split in 1980, it was re-formed as the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) in 1980, which is currently India's largest political party by primary membership and representation in [[Lok Sabha]].<br />
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The '''Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)''' is one of the two major [[Political party|political parties]] in [[India]], along with the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/-In-Numbers-The-Rise-of-BJP-and-decline-of-Congress/articleshow/52341190.cms|title=In Numbers: The Rise of BJP and decline of Congress|work=The Times of India|date=19 May 2016|access-date=29 June 2017}}</ref> {{As of|2016}}, it is the country's largest political party in terms of representation in the [[Parliament of India|Sansad]] and [[Vidhan Bhavans]], and it is the world's largest party in terms of primary membership. The BJP is a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] party,{{sfn|Banerjee|2005|p=3118}}{{sfn|Malik|Singh|1992|p=318}} with close ideological and organisational links to the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]].<br />
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After the [[1998 Indian general election|1998 general election]], the BJP-led coalition known as the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA) formed a government under Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] for a year. Following fresh elections, the NDA government, again headed by Vajpayee, lasted for a full term in office; this was the first non-Congress government to do so. In the [[2004 Indian general election|2004 general election]], the NDA suffered an unexpected defeat, and for the next ten years the BJP was the principal opposition party. Long time [[Gujarat]] Chief Minister [[Narendra Modi]] led it to a landslide victory in the [[2014 Indian general election|2014 general election]]. Since that election, Modi leads the NDA government as Prime Minister and {{As of|2020|03|lc=y}}, the BJP and its alliance governs 18 states.<br />
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The official ideology of the BJP is "[[Integral humanism (India)|integral humanism]]", first formulated by [[Deendayal Upadhyaya]] in 1965. The party expresses a commitment to [[Hindutva]], and its policy has historically reflected [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu nationalist]] positions. The BJP advocates [[social conservatism]] and a foreign policy centered on nationalist principles. Its key issues have included the abrogation of the [[Article 370|special status to Jammu and Kashmir]], the building of a [[Ram temple]] in [[Ayodhya]] and the implementation of a [[Uniform civil code of India|uniform civil code]]. However, the 1998–2004 NDA government did not pursue any of these controversial issues. It instead focused on a largely [[neoliberal]] economic policy prioritising, [[globalisation]] and [[economic growth]] over social [[welfare]]. In the August 2019, Modi led BJP government has finally abrogated Article 370 thus fulfilling one of its election promises within first 100 days of second term of Modi government in office. The Ayodhya verdict by the Supreme court in favour of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, in Oct 2019 has settled the contentious issue pending for over 7 decades and finally paved the way for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya.<br />
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==Other political parties==<br />
A number of regional conservative political parties also exist in India, these include the<br />
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* [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] in Punjab and Delhi<br />
* [[Shiv Sena]] in Maharashtra<br />
* [[Bharath Dharma Jana Sena]] in Kerala<br />
* [[Indian Union Muslim League]] in Kerala<br />
* [[Lok Satta Party]] in Bihar<br />
* [[Swabhimani Paksha]] in Maharashtra<br />
* [[Maharashtra Navnirman Sena]] in Maharashtra<br />
* [[Hindu Makkal Katchi]] in Tamil Nadu<br />
* [[Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party]] in Goa<br />
* [[Goa Suraksha Manch]] in Goa<br />
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A splinter of the INC, [[Indian National Congress (Organisation)|INC(O)]] had emerged after Indira Gandhi wanted to use a [[Populism|populist]] agenda in order to mobilize popular support for the party. The regional party elites, who formed the INC(O), stood for a more right-wing agenda, and distrusted [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet]] help.<br />
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== See also ==<br />
*[[Liberalism in India]]<br />
*[[Socialism in India]]<br />
*[[Indian nationalism]]<br />
*[[Hindu nationalism]]<br />
{{Portal|Politics|India}}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist|30em}}<br />
{{Conservatism footer}}<br />
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[[Category:Conservatism in India| ]]<br />
[[Category:Political movements in India]]</div>203.192.214.166