Inside the BJP-RSS Digital Machinery: How India’s Most Powerful Political Network Shapes Online Narratives

 

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Inside the BJP-RSS Digital Machinery: How India’s Most Powerful Political Network Shapes Online Narratives

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), have built one of the most sophisticated political “digital armies” in the world. What began in the mid‑2000s as a handful of social media volunteers has grown into a massive, multi‑layered ecosystem encompassing in‑house teams, marquee ad agencies, boutique specialists and grassroots “shakha” networks — all coordinated to shape narratives, amplify messaging and mobilize voters across India’s 1.4 billion population.

BJP IT Cell: The In‑House Engine
 Founded in 2007, the BJP IT Cell was the first Indian party unit to treat social media as a core campaigning arm. By 2014, it had formalized operations under then‑convenor Arvind Gupta and head Amit Malviya, building a manpower pipeline that today claims over 5,000 core workers at state and district levels, supported by some 150,000 social‑media operatives spreading targeted posts across WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook. Wikipedia, Wired .In routine election cycles, these teams deploy data analytics and micro‑targeted messaging — often via proprietary apps like SARAL — to reach up to 100,000 voters per day with campaign updates, policy pitches and get‑out‑the‑vote reminders Source.

 While the IT Cell handles grassroots mobilization, the BJP also contracts top industry players for broad‑reach campaigns:

• Madison Media: Retained since 2014 for nationwide media planning and buying across print, TV and radio Source1, Source2
• McCann Worldgroup–TAG & Scarecrow M&C Saatchi: Awarded creative and digital mandates ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, overseeing everything from influencer tie‑ups to outdoor hoardings Source1, Source2.
• SEO Corporation, Ogilvy & Mather, Soho Square: Handled early digital advertising, social‑media blogging and localized outreach in 2014, with senior BJP leaders personally acknowledging their contributions Source1, Source2.

Boutique Specialists & Grassroots Tools
 Beyond the big names, the BJP’s digital playbook employs:

• Meme‑Marketing Agencies (e.g., Acquaint Consultants): Tasked with crafting viral memes around trending topics — spending on Google ads alone topped ₹5.37 crore in a recent 30‑day window, with Meta ad spends of ₹1.31 crore Source
• VivaConnect’s “LiveTalk”: A voice‑broadcast service used in 2014 to stream Narendra Modi’s speeches into “media‑dark” rural households via regular phone calls; it reached over a million callers for the Prime Minister’s oath‑taking ceremony en.wikipedia.org.
• Secret “War Rooms”: Data teams like those set up by Sapiens Research to mobilize 12.5 million female voters in 2024 — leveraging call centers, WhatsApp and village‑level self‑help groups to track and engage constituents door‑to‑door wired.com.

RSS Digital Infrastructure & Volunteer Mobilization
 Parallel to the BJP’s IT Cell, the RSS is revamping its own digital training and outreach:

• Digital “Shakhas”: In late 2023, RSS organised “digital shakha” workshops for 150 influencers, equipping them with IT Cell‑style messaging playbooks to amplify pro‑Modi content across social platforms thetimes.co.uk.
• Shakha App: Since 2020, roughly 1.5 lakh volunteers in the Kashi Prant have adopted a nine‑module “Shakha” mobile app — covering everything from daily drills to offline event coordination — to stay connected and “take up organisational activities” online timesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com.
• Volunteer Scale: The RSS reports over 37 lakh regular shakha attendances nationwide, with an additional 7.25 lakh join‑requests via its “Join RSS” portal between 2017–2022 — underscoring the Sangh’s digital embrace to bolster traditional ground‑game methods Source .

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By integrating high‑tech campaign analytics, marquee agency firepower and deep volunteer networks — both BJP’s IT Cell and the RSS have effectively rewritten India’s playbook for voter outreach. As digital platforms evolve, these structures are likely to become even more granular, personalized and automated — raising both strategic possibilities and urgent questions about transparency, data privacy and the shaping of democratic discourse.

Post-Truth India: Where Perception Trumps Reality

In today’s India, the truth is often a casualty of perception, shaped by relentless narratives and amplified by a sophisticated propaganda machinery. The Bofors, 2G, and Commonwealth Games (CWG) controversies—once dubbed as monumental scams—stand as stark examples of how perception can overshadow judicial verdicts and cement a narrative in the public psyche. Despite courts clearing the Congress party of wrongdoing in these cases, the taint lingers, fueled by a well-orchestrated campaign from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) IT cell and the broader Sanghi ecosystem. This is the essence of post-truth India, where perception is everything, and the truth is often irrelevant.

The Ghost of “Scams” That Weren’t

The Bofors scandal, dating back to the 1980s, involved allegations of kickbacks in a defense deal. The 2G spectrum case of 2012 was painted as a massive telecom scam, with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) estimating a notional loss of ₹1.76 lakh crore. The CWG scam, also from the Congress-led UPA era, was portrayed as a case of gross mismanagement and corruption in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. These controversies dominated headlines, shaped public discourse, and became synonymous with Congress’s alleged corruption.
Yet, the courts told a different story. In 2005, the Delhi High Court quashed charges in the Bofors case, citing lack of evidence. The 2G case, after years of scrutiny, saw all accused, including former Telecom Minister A. Raja, acquitted in 2017 by a special CBI court, which found no proof of corruption or financial loss. Similarly, the CWG case resulted in no major convictions, with allegations fizzling out under judicial review. Legally, these were not scams. But in the court of public opinion, the Congress remains guilty.

Why Perception Persists

Why do most Indians remain unaware of these judicial outcomes? The answer lies in the BJP’s masterful control of the narrative, powered by its IT cell and a vast network of supporters often referred to as the “Sanghi ecosystem.” This ecosystem—comprising social media warriors, WhatsApp groups, pliable news channels, and influencers—has perfected the art of perception management. Through memes, viral videos, and selective outrage, they have ensured that the word “scam” remains indelibly linked to Congress, regardless of facts.
The BJP’s IT cell operates like a well-oiled machine, flooding digital spaces with content that reinforces negative stereotypes about Congress. X posts, for instance, frequently recycle old headlines about Bofors or 2G, conveniently omitting court verdicts. WhatsApp forwards amplify half-truths, while prime-time TV debates—often skewed in favor of the ruling party—keep the narrative alive. The sheer volume of this messaging drowns out any attempt to set the record straight.
Contrast this with the Congress’s response—or lack thereof. The party has struggled to counter this propaganda, lacking the organizational muscle or digital savvy to match the BJP’s outreach. If the roles were reversed, and the BJP faced similar allegations, it’s likely that their ecosystem would have ensured every Indian knew about the court’s exoneration. Street protests, viral campaigns, and hashtags would have dominated the discourse, turning judicial vindication into a public relations victory. The BJP’s numbers advantage—both in terms of supporters and resources—gives it an unmatched ability to shape perceptions.

The Post-Truth Era

This phenomenon reflects a deeper shift in Indian society: the rise of a post-truth era where emotions and narratives trump facts. In this landscape, the truth is malleable, shaped by whoever shouts the loudest or spends the most on digital campaigns. The Sanghi ecosystem thrives on this, leveraging its scale to create a reality where Congress is perpetually corrupt, and the BJP is the harbinger of a “New India.” The average Indian, bombarded with information and lacking the time or inclination to verify court judgments, accepts the dominant narrative.
This isn’t just about political rivalry; it’s about the erosion of truth as a public good. When judicial verdicts are buried under a deluge of propaganda, and when perception becomes more powerful than evidence, democracy suffers. The Bofors, 2G, and CWG cases are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a larger malaise where facts are secondary to feelings.

The Way Forward

To counter this, the Congress and other opposition parties must invest in their own narrative-building machinery. They need to harness digital platforms, engage younger audiences, and simplify complex judicial outcomes into compelling stories. More importantly, civil society and the media must play a role in amplifying the truth, challenging propaganda with facts, and fostering a culture of critical thinking.
India’s post-truth reality is a warning: when perception is everything, the truth becomes a mere footnote. The Bofors, 2G, and CWG sagas show how effectively a narrative can be weaponized. Unless countered with equal vigor, the Sanghi ecosystem’s loudness will continue to drown out the truth, leaving India in a haze of half-truths and manufactured outrage. In this New India, the battle for truth is as critical as ever—but it’s a battle the opposition is yet to fully join.

Dominance of BJP IT Cell

 

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Dominance of BJP IT Cell

In recent years, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Information Technology (IT) Cell has built an unparalleled digital machinery that reaches millions of Indians daily. At its core are roughly 5,500–6,000 full-time operatives under National Convener Amit Malviya, supported by an estimated 150,000 contract “social-media workers” disseminating content across platforms Wikipedia. Ahead of the 2020 Bihar polls alone, the party appointed 9,500 IT-Cell heads at every shakti kendra (local office) and spun up 72,000 WhatsApp groups to push curated political messaging to booth-level workers and voters ThePrint. This vast network empowers hyper-targeted, 24×7 narrative management — often blurring the line between legitimate outreach and coordinated misinformation.

The Architecture of the BJP IT Cell

Organizational Scale and Structure

• Core Team: According to public records, the BJP IT Cell employs about 5,500–6,000 staffers nationwide, led by Amit Malviya since 2015 Wikipedia.
• Grassroots Cadre: Beyond the core, some 150,000 part-time social-media operatives are mobilized to forward messages, manage groups, and engage in online debates on demand X (formerly Twitter).
• State-Level Deployment: In Bihar, for instance, each of the state’s 9,500 shakti kendras had its own IT-Cell head, overseeing six to seven booths apiece, ensuring hyper-local coverage ThePrint.

Digital Infrastructure and Reach

• Multi-Platform Pipeline: The Cell coordinates content dissemination via WhatsApp, Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and the party-owned NaMo TV channel, leveraging platform APIs and “shadow advertisers” for paid reach ThePrint.
• Historical Continuity: BJP’s tech-driven outreach predates Modi’s prime ministry — Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 2004 pre-recorded phone messages, the 2014 “3D vans,” and the 2019 “missed-call” campaign underscore a long-standing strategy to pioneer political tech ThePrint.

Motives Behind the Dominance

Electoral Gains and Vote Mobilization

• Mindshare Capture: As one former UP-BJP IT volunteer put it, “Our aim was to capture the mind of the voter… Whenever they look, they should see us, hear our message” Wikipedia.
• Women’s Outreach War Room: In 2024, a clandestine “war room” led by data-analytics teams targeted 12.5 million female voters through WhatsApp, call centers, and the SARAL app — showing how finely segmented BJP’s voter-contact operations have become WIRED.

Narrative Control and Political Messaging

• First-Mover Advantage: Modi’s X (formerly Twitter) account launched in 2009, six years before his chief rival followed suit — an early sign of BJP’s eagerness to own the digital narrative Wikipedia.
• Content Monetization: The Cell has even persuaded platforms to “monetize” friendly pages, enabling pro-BJP news outlets to earn ad revenue and thereby sustain volume-intensive content production The Indian Express.

Tactics and Use of Misinformation

WhatsApp Campaigns and Viral Content

• Booth-Level Distribution: The 72,000 WhatsApp groups in Bihar alone function as mini newsrooms, pushing videos, text, and audio clips directly to voters’ pockets — unstoppable unless users opt out manually ThePrint.
• Fact-Check Debunkings: AltNews identified 16 separate misinformation narratives spun by Amit Malviya’s account, from fake “terrorist scooter rides” allegations to doctored protest footage Scroll.in.

Social Media Amplification and Shadow Advertisers

• Deepfakes: The Reuters Institute flagged a surge of AI-generated videos in India’s 2024 polls — featuring bogus speeches and endorsements — often traced back to pro-BJP networks seeking viral reach Reuters Institute.
• Paid Promotions: Time Magazine’s investigation uncovered “shadow advertisers” running covert pro-Modi ads on Instagram and X, circumventing transparency rules to micro-target swing demographics Time.
• Industrial-Scale Misinformation: Freedom House called India’s elections “plagued” by politically orchestrated disinformation, with the BJP’s machine producing “inflammatory, often false, and bigoted material” on an industrial scale Freedom House.

Case Studies: Notable Misinformation Episodes

• Farmers’ Protest Manipulation: In December 2020, Twitter tagged an IT Cell post by Malviya as “manipulated media” after it misrepresented a farmers’ protest incident — marking unprecedented platform pushback Wikipedia.
• False Voting Instructions: DFRLab documented viral WhatsApp messages guiding voters to “vote early” or “avoid certain booths,” undermining polling integrity ﹘ many aligned with BJP geographies DFRLab.
• Doctored Videos of Rahul Gandhi: Dozens of short clips were edited to make the opposition leader appear to contradict himself; AltNews and Scroll.in produced detailed debunks Alt NewsScroll.in.

Impact on Indian Democracy

Polarization and Public Discourse

• Hate-Factory Accusations: The Washington Post reports that BJP-linked groups have “perfected” spreading bigoted material, fueling communal divides and eroding social cohesion The Washington Post.
• Platform Incentives: India Today noted that social-media algorithms prioritize anger-driven content — a dynamic the BJP exploits by feeding polarizing narratives into high-velocity networks India Today.

Regulatory and Legal Challenges

• Press-Freedom Risks: Amnesty International warned that India’s recent IT-Rules amendments enable quick takedowns of “undesirable” content, chilling critical journalism even as the BJP’s own networks proliferate unchecked Amnesty International.
• Enforcement Gaps: Despite Election Commission advisories, digital campaigning often outpaces rule-making, leaving loopholes for cross-border funding, opaque ad buys, and untraceable message forwarding.

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While digital campaigning is here to stay, the BJP’s IT Cell stands out for scale, sophistication, and strategic misinformation — posing urgent questions for India’s democratic resilience, media literacy initiatives, and regulatory frameworks. Vigilant fact-checking, platform accountability, and civic education will be crucial to ensure that tech-enabled politics serves transparency rather than tribalism.

India in 2025: A Nation Stumbling Under Its Own Weight

 India in 2025 is a mess—a sprawling, chaotic giant that’s tripping over its own ambitions. The world’s fifth-largest economy, home to 1.46 billion people (UN estimates, January 2025), is drowning in unemployment, choking on pollution, and buckling under a government that’s more flash than substance. The promise of a $5 trillion economy by 2027 feels like a cruel joke when you peel back the stats and see the rot. Let’s rip the Band-Aid off and look at everything that’s wrong with India right now.

An Economy That’s Running on Fumes

India’s GDP growth has slumped to 6.5% for fiscal year 2024-25 (Deloitte, January 2025), down from the 8% Modi’s team swore we’d hit to reach that 2047 superpower dream. The IMF’s latest projections peg it even lower—6.4%—and ICRA’s at 6.5% for 2025-26. That’s not “world-beating”; it’s barely keeping pace with a population growing by 13 million a year. Unemployment’s a ticking bomb: 7.8% overall (CMIE, March 2025), but urban youth (15-29) are at a soul-crushing 16.8% (World Bank, 2024), and women lag at 9%. Over 73 million urban workers scrape by without full-time jobs—48.9% of the workforce (government data, 2022, still relevant).

Inflation’s gnawing at everyone’s wallet—5.4% as of early 2025 (Reuters, January), driven by oil prices flirting with $100 a barrel thanks to Trump’s tariff tantrums and a rupee that’s wobbling at 85 to the dollar (ICICIdirect). Food inflation’s a beast too—vegetable prices spiked 20% in Q1 2025 (Nageswaran’s Economic Survey)—and no amount of “good crop arrivals” is taming it when monsoons are a coin toss. FDI? Plummeted to $479 million between April and November 2024 (RBI), down from $8.5 billion the year before. Global supply chains are dodging India like it’s a regulatory plague—logistics costs are still 14% of GDP (Reuters), double China’s 8%. So much for “Make in India.”

A Society Coming Apart at the Seams

Caste and honor killings still stain the headlines—five women stabbed in Lucknow in January 2025, a suspected honor killing (Wikipedia). Unemployment’s breeding despair, and the rural-urban divide is a chasm: 62.9% of Indians live in villages (DataReportal, 2025), but only 37.1% in cities where the jobs are. Education’s a farce—reforms are stuck in committee hell, and 3 million developers (DataReportal) can’t mask the millions more with degrees but no skills. Healthcare’s a lottery: Ayushman Bharat’s a shiny pamphlet, but rural clinics are ghost towns, and urban hospitals can’t save doctors from rape and murder—like the Kolkata case that sparked protests in August 2024 (HRW).

Ethnic violence festers—Manipur’s death toll hit 200+ with 60,000 displaced since 2023 (HRW, 2025), and Chief Minister N. Biren Singh quit in February amid the chaos. Naxalites keep bleeding Chhattisgarh—31 killed in Bijapur in February, 30 in Dantewada in March (Wikipedia). Meanwhile, the BJP’s bulldozers flatten Muslim homes after every communal flare-up—discrimination so blatant even the European Parliament called it out in January 2025 for “increasing nationalistic rhetoric” (HRW).

An Environment That’s Suffocating Us

Air pollution’s a death sentence—Delhi’s AQI crossed 350+ multiple times in 2025 (extrapolated from Quora, 2016 trends), and Mumbai’s not far behind. Groundwater’s vanishing—70% of India’s supply is overexploited (posts on X), leaving farmers high and dry. Power growth crawled at its slowest since 2020 in 2024 (The Hindu, January 2025), with coal still at 74.4% of the mix despite a renewables bump to 12.1%. Solar’s up 18.4%, but it’s the weakest growth since 2015 (The Hindu). Net-zero by 2070? At this rate, we’ll be a smog-choked wasteland first.

Water shortages are a crisis clock—Chennai’s back to tanker wars, and rural wells are dust. Climate change isn’t a debate; it’s a hammer—floods in Assam killed nine miners in January, and a heatwave baked the northwest in March. Infrastructure’s a joke—Srisaliam Left Bank Canal collapsed in Telangana in February, eight workers missing (Wikipedia). Meanwhile, 1.12 billion mobile connections buzz (DataReportal), but the digital divide keeps rural India in the dark.

A Government That’s All Talk, No Teeth

Modi’s third term is a masterclass in optics over action. The BJP swept Delhi’s Assembly in February 2025 with a two-thirds majority (Wikipedia), but governance is a circus. Internet shutdowns lead the world—hitting the poor hardest by cutting off food rations (HRW)—and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act’s a surveillance wet dream with no rules in sight (Freedom House). Pegasus spyware’s old news; now Apple’s warning parliamentarians of state hacks (October 2024, HRW).

Foreign policy’s a tightrope—border talks with China in 2024 disengaged troops but solved nothing (The Hindu, January 2025), while Canada’s accusing Indian agents of murder plots (HRW). Jammu and Kashmir’s elections in September 2024 were a sham—40 attacks, 18 civilians dead (HRW). The National Human Rights Commission’s accreditation got deferred again in May 2024 (HRW)—a global slap for a regime that can’t stop its own goons from lynching minorities.

A Culture of Chaos and Crowd Crushes

Indians can’t even pray without dying—30 crushed at Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj in January, 18 at New Delhi railway station in February (Wikipedia). An illegal fireworks factory explosion in Gujarat killed 21 in February—regulation’s a myth. Trains derail (Bengaluru-Kamakhya, one dead, March), buses crash (Saputara, five dead, February), and a Mirage jet went down in Madhya Pradesh (Wikipedia). It’s not fate; it’s negligence.

The Brutal Bottom Line

India in 2025 is a nation of squandered potential—1.46 billion people, a $3.7 trillion economy (IMF estimate), and a digital army of 1.12 billion mobile users, yet we’re choking on smog, starving for jobs, and ruled by a government that’d rather flex than fix. Growth’s a mirage when 700 million still hover near poverty (McKinsey, 2024 projection). The BJP’s “Viksit Bharat” by 2047 is a fantasy if we can’t get past 6.5% GDP, 7.8% unemployment, and a planet that’s fighting back.

This isn’t a country on the rise—it’s a colossus cracking under its own contradictions. Prove me wrong in the comments, but the numbers don’t lie. India’s not shining; it’s surviving.

India’s Average IQ: A Global Comparison and Path Forward

 Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is often used as a measure of cognitive ability, sparking debates about its implications for individuals and nations alike. When it comes to India, a country of over 1.4 billion people with immense diversity, the question of average IQ offers a window into its challenges and potential. Estimates of India’s average IQ vary, but many studies place it between 76 and 82—below the global average of approximately 100. This article explores how India’s IQ stacks up against the world, why it might be lower than some nations, and what can be done to improve it. Additionally, it examines the curious link between IQ and religiosity, and how religiosity intertwines with Indian politics.

India’s IQ in Global Context

Globally, IQ scores tend to follow a bell curve, with most countries clustering around the average of 100. High-performing nations like Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore often score above 105, reflecting strong education systems and socioeconomic stability. In contrast, India’s reported average IQ of 76 to 82 ranks it lower than many developed countries, such as the United States (around 97) or the United Kingdom (100). It’s closer to nations like Iran (84) or Iraq (87), though still above some Sub-Saharan African countries, where averages can dip into the 60s or 70s.

These numbers, however, come with caveats. IQ tests measure specific cognitive skills—logical reasoning, pattern recognition, and verbal ability—but they don’t capture creativity, emotional intelligence, or practical problem-solving, areas where India has historically excelled. The country’s contributions to mathematics, philosophy, and modern fields like IT and space exploration suggest a reservoir of intellectual talent that transcends test scores. Still, the lower average prompts questions about underlying causes.

Why Is India’s Average IQ Low?

Several factors contribute to India’s lower-than-average IQ scores, rooted in its socioeconomic and cultural landscape:

1. Educational Disparities: India’s education system varies widely in quality. Urban areas and states like Kerala boast high literacy and critical thinking opportunities, while rural regions often lack access to basic schooling. Rote memorization, rather than problem-solving, dominates many classrooms, potentially stunting cognitive development as measured by IQ tests.
2. Nutrition and Health: Malnutrition remains a challenge, particularly in poorer regions. A lack of essential nutrients like protein and iodine during early childhood can impair brain development, lowering IQ potential. Poor healthcare access compounds this issue, with conditions like anemia affecting millions.
3. Socioeconomic Inequality: Poverty limits exposure to stimulating environments—books, technology, or even safe spaces to learn. Children in low-income families often face additional stressors, like labor demands, that hinder intellectual growth.
4. Cultural Bias in Testing: IQ tests, often designed in Western contexts, may not fully account for India’s linguistic and cultural diversity. An illiterate farmer might excel at practical problem-solving yet score poorly on a test requiring formal education.

These factors don’t reflect an inherent lack of ability but rather systemic barriers that suppress measurable intelligence. India’s diaspora, particularly in the United States, where Indian Americans average IQs around 112, underscores this point—given opportunity, the potential shines through.

Can India Increase Its Average IQ?

Raising India’s average IQ is less about changing people and more about changing conditions. Here are some actionable steps:

• Improve Education: Shift the focus from rote learning to critical thinking and creativity. Expanding access to quality schooling, especially in rural areas, could unlock latent potential. Programs like digital classrooms or teacher training could help.
• Address Nutrition: Government initiatives like the Mid-Day Meal Scheme show promise, but scaling up efforts to ensure every child gets a balanced diet could yield long-term cognitive gains. Public health campaigns targeting maternal and child nutrition are key.
• Reduce Inequality: Economic growth must trickle down to provide resources—books, internet, safe homes—for all. Policies supporting universal healthcare and poverty alleviation could level the playing field.
• Culturally Relevant Metrics: Developing or adapting IQ tests to reflect India’s diverse contexts might better capture its intellectual strengths, though global standardization remains a challenge.

The Flynn Effect—the observed rise in IQ scores over time in many countries—offers hope. As India modernizes, its average IQ has reportedly increased by a few points per decade since the mid-20th century, suggesting progress is already underway.

IQ, Religiosity, and Indian Politics

An intriguing angle on IQ is its correlation with religiosity. Studies globally suggest a modest negative relationship: higher IQ scores often align with lower religious belief or practice. This isn’t absolute—exceptions abound—but the trend holds across diverse populations. One theory is that analytical thinking, which IQ tests favor, may lead individuals to question traditional beliefs. Another posits that education, which boosts IQ, often exposes people to secular ideas.

In India, religiosity runs deep. Surveys show most Indians, regardless of faith—Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or otherwise—identify strongly with their religion and value tolerance, yet prefer social segregation. This devotion doesn’t inherently lower IQ, but the interplay is complex. Less developed regions, where religiosity is often higher, tend to have lower IQ scores, possibly due to limited education and resources rather than faith itself.

Indian politics amplifies this dynamic. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) draws significant support from Hindus who tie national identity to religion and language (Hindi). In the 2019 elections, voters prioritizing these traits were far more likely to back the BJP than those less attached to them. This suggests religiosity isn’t just personal—it’s a political force shaping governance and policy. In contrast, southern states, where religious integration is higher and BJP support lower, often outperform in education and literacy, hinting at a regional IQ-religiosity divide.

Beyond the Numbers

India’s average IQ may lag behind the global mean, but numbers tell only part of the story. The country’s resilience, innovation, and cultural richness defy simplistic metrics. Low scores reflect challenges—poverty, malnutrition, unequal education—not a ceiling on potential. By tackling these root causes, India can not only raise its IQ but also harness its vast human capital more fully.

The link between IQ, religiosity, and politics adds another layer. It’s not that faith dims intelligence, but that the conditions fostering high IQ—education, health, opportunity—sometimes clash with traditionalism. As India balances modernity and heritage, its intellectual trajectory will depend on how it navigates these tensions. The future isn’t fixed; it’s a canvas for progress.