Links to a selection of web pages related to new social movements and Non-Governmental Organizations

Government of India   Main portal site for the Government of India from the National Information Centre.
Parliament of India  Constitution of India, transcipts of parliamentary debates, contact addresses of Members of Parliament.

Major Political Parties with Websites

Indian National Congress (INC) India's oldest political party, led the movement against British rule, and then became independent India's premier political party -- a position they maintained until the early 1990s. Their web site http://indiancogress.org was down at the time of the compilation of these links.  The above is a link to the INC newsletter, which has a fair number of  links to relevant information.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - official site Includes party history, details on their philosophy of integral humanism, policy, and more.  One of the members of the "Sangh Family"  (see below)

Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M)  Broke with the original Communist Party of India, and now an important regional force in Bengal and Kerala.

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation - The official home page of the Communist Party of India (Marxist - Leninist) Liberation.  A radical pro-Maoist break away from the CPI-M.  CPI ML Red Flag yet another faction among the communist parties in India.

Bahujan Samaj Party  Represents the cause of  India's Dalits -- former "untouchables" and a growing force in regional politics as well as at the national level.

Dravida Munnetra Khazagham (DMK)    (link down)
A regional party active in Tamilnadu which started off a movement for the liberation of the southern "Dravidians" from North Indian "Aryans."

All India Anna DMK (AIADMK)
Originally a break-away group from the DMK, which has grown to the DMK's greatest rival in Tamilnadu.  Has often defeated the DMK in electoral contests in Tamilnadu.  This appears to be an official site.

Telugu Desam Party
A regional party in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and a very important member of the present BJP-led coalition at the Center.

Trinamool Congress
A break-away group from the INC in the state of West Bengal, formed specifically to challenge the long-ruling CPI-M government in that state.

"Sangh Family" or Pro-Hindutva Organizations
 The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)
The "parent" organization of the BJP and other Hindutva groups.  Calls itself a "cultural" organization, and does not directly participate in electoral politics.  Most leaders of the BJP are also members of the RSS

 Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
The "religious" arm of the RSS, once again nominally independent from the RSS, though it's leadership, like that of the BJP, is composed of RSS members.  Took a leading role in the movement to build a temple at the site of a mosque in the town of Ayodhya.

 Bajrang Dal
The "youth wing" of the RSS.  Often used as local strongarm support for the Hindutva agenda.

Shiv Sena
The Shiv Sena is a regional party in the state of Maharashtra.  Not a member of the "Sangh Family" of organizations.  The Shiv Sena leader, Bal Thakeray, is sometimes much further to the right of the RSS and affiliates.  Electorally, successful in urban areas.
 

Some Fringe Hindutva Groups
 Soldiers of Hindutva!
 Nation of Hindutva
 

For a set of links about Hindutva politics, go to: David Ludden's Hindutva Links
 

This page under construction:  last updated on August 30, 2005