Mobilization Through Social Welfare: The Role of Rajasthan Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad

Social welfare provisions have been used by the Indian state since independence to gain legitimacy amongst the masses. They constitute an important electoral strategy for political parties. It is in this context, the political strategy of Mobilization Through Social Welfare used by the Sangh Parivar has been discussed in this paper in the context of Rajasthan. The focus of this paper mainly rests on three main issues: the use of social welfare as a political strategy by the Sangh Parivar; the functioning of the Rajasthan Vanvashi Kalyan Parishad (RVKP) with a special focus on Rajasthan; and finally usage of the politics of violence and the politicization of the welfare strategy to spread the ideology of Hindutva.