Akhand Bharat

Akhand Bharat (Hindustani: अखण्ड भारत (Devanagri), اکھنڈ بھارت (Urdu)), also known as Akhand Hindustan (Hindustani: अखण्ड हिन्दुस्तान (Devanagri), اکھنڈ ہندوستان (Nastaleeq)), is an irredentist Hindustani term literally meaning Undivided India.

History

At the time of the Indian Independence Movement, K.M. Munshi advocated for Akhand Hindustan, a proposition that Mahatma Gandhi, believing that "as Britain wanted to retain her empire by pursuing a policy of divide and rule, Hindu-Muslim unity could not be achieved as long as the British were there." In addition, Mazhar Ali Khan wrote that "the Khan brothers [were] determined to fight for Akhand Hindustan, and challenged the League to fight the issue out before the electorate of the Province." On 7–8 October, 1944, in Delhi, Radha Kumud Mukherjee presided over the Akhand Hindustan Leaders' Conference.

Modern usage

The call for creation of the Akhand Bharat or Akhand Hindustan has on occasions been raised by some Indian right wing Hindutvadi cultural and political organisations such as the Hindu Mahasabha, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The name of one organisation sharing this goal, the Akhand Hindustan Morcha, bears the term in its name. Other major Indian non-sectarian political parties such as the Indian National Congress, maintain a position against the partition of India on religious grounds, do not subscribe to a call for Akhand Bharat.

Akhand

Akhand (Persian: اخند‎‎, also Romanized as Akhand; also known as Ākhownd and Ākhūnd) is a village in Akhand Rural District, Central District, Asaluyeh County, Bushehr Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 2,492, in 455 families.

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