6. Religious Organisations

The organisations based on religion have come to play an important role in Indian politics. They represent the narrow communal interest. They include:

(i) Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS)

(ii) Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)

(iii) Jamaat-e-Islami

(iv) Ittehad-ul-Mussalmeen

(v) Anglo-Indian Association

(vi) Associations of the Roman Catholics

(vii) All-India Conference of Indian Christians (viii) Parsi Central Association

(ix) Shiromani Akali Dal

"The Shiromani Akali Dal should be regarded as more of a religious pressure group rather than a political party in view of the fact that it has been concerned more with the mission of saving the sikh community from being absorbed into the ocean of hindu society than with fighting for the cause of a sikh homeland”2 .