Hindu Nationalism is religious nationalism centred on the idea of India as a Hindu nation. It is often used interchangeably with "Hindutva" (literally "Hinduness", or political Hinduism). V. D. Savarkar coined the term Hindutva, defining it by territory, language and "race". Religious minorities in the Hindu nation are outsiders who must pay allegiance to Hindu symbols in public.
A key goal of the Hindu nationalist movement is to construct a unified Hindu identity which transcends caste boundaries, but without necessarily dismantling the caste system. Rhetoric and violence against Muslims and other religious minorities in India can be seen as a tool towards this goal of Hindu unification. The representatives of Hindu Nationalism today are the Sangh Parivar. The victory of the BJP in the 2014 and 2019 general elections can be seen as an important milestone in the Hindutva project.
References:
• Hindu Nationalism: A Reader Edited by Christophe Jaffrelot, Princeton, 2007.
• Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism. The Violence in Gujarat, Ornit Shani, CUP, 2007.