Hindu Nationalism has been present in India since British times. In Punjab, they used to be called Arya Samaj (Society of the Aryans) and majority of their ideas have been adapted today by RSS. In 1984, anti Sikh pogrom Hindu Nationalists supported killings of Sikhs on the ground, supporting such acts by distributing motivated pamphlets among politicians, and by calling for ‘de-Turbanization of Sikhs’. In 1992, Babri mosque was demolished by Hindu Nationalists. 2002 Gujarat pogrom against Muslims was perpetrated by Hindu Nationalists.

It is disingenuous to say that Hindu Nationalism is a recent phenomenon of last 7 years. It has a long history by now in India.