He created the Hindu nationalist political philosophy of Hindutva while imprisoned in Ratnagiri in 1922. He was released in 1924 after several mercy petitions, but was barred from leaving Ratnagiri and was not allowed to participate in politics for five years. He was arrested in 1909 for plotting an armed revolt against the Morle-Minto reform. He burned foreign goods in a bonfire on Dussehra in 1905. He also worked to abolish untouchability in Ratnagiri. He formed a youth organization called Mitra Mela when he was a teenager. He advocated for a two-nation theory in his book Hindutva, which called for separate nations for Hindus and Muslims. He was charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, but was later acquitted due to lack of evidence.