The Hindu Mahasabha was formed at the Haridwar Kumbh Mela in 1915 by Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was also the founder of BHU. However, the party was defunct for a few years, including during the months of the Non-Cooperation Movement. It was revived in 1922–23 when it incorporated the Shuddhi programme and called for Hindu self-defence squads. It worked with Arya Samaj and other Hindu communal organisations. It was directly linked with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), formed in 1925 at Nagpur by K.B. Hedgewar. Though RSS claimed that it was a cultural organisation, it was always involved in political matters through its political wing, the Hindu Mahasabha. Many Congress leaders were members of the Hindu Sabha and were very close to Mahasabha leaders. For example, Gandhi and Purshottam Das had a close relationship with Madan Mohan Malaviya. In some places, like Banaras, it was difficult to distinguish between 'Swarajists' and Hindu Mahasabhites.
The Sabha became more aggressive after 1929 and started propagating the idea of a 'Hindu Rashtra,' which was completely different from Gandhi's 'Ram Rajya.' The Sabha was directly and indirectly involved in many communal riots, and the government used it to weaken the nationalist movement of the Congress, just as they had used the Muslim League on several occasions. The Hindu Mahasabha claimed to be nationalist but kept itself away from popular movements, including the Quit India Movement (1942). They were more concerned with the so-called safety of Hindus in a country where more than two-thirds of the population were Hindus. Their social base was very weak, but their claims were very lofty. In the end, it emerged as a party that was less concerned with Hindus and more focused on opposing Muslims and Christians.
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