A Secularism More Inclusive

Context: In the light of Ayodhya judgement, the nature and status of Indian secularism has been restricted to Hindu-Muslim issues and ignores various existing socioeconomic inequalities in India.

Current Discourses on Secularism in India

• Indian secularism cannot be equated with western conceptions of it because both the cultural experience and its evolution varies in India.
• Indian secularism has created two main discursive exclusions and has thrived on political usurpation.

• The predominance of scholarship and the political assertion around Muslim at the cost of religious minorities such as Christians, Jews and Parsis.

• While one end of the political spectrum celebrates the marginalisation of Muslims, the other restricts its engagement to one constituency only.
• In the 17th Lok Sabha Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis have only 4% representation
• Hindu vs Muslim debate usurps access to political debate and discussion from minorities 

• For, E.g. during the post-emergency era, Indira Gandhi garnered political support from Muslim after incorporation of secularism in the Preamble.
• However, the minority representation to the parliament declined: Electoral data for Lok Sabha from 1980 to 2014 shows that Muslim representation has reduced by two-thirds.

• Colonial Legacy: Current discourses are still based over colonial communal politics.
• For E.g. The Hindu communalists were then fearful of Muslim political assertion, and the Muslims were equally fearful of Hindu dominance in the new India.
• Right-Wing Discourse: The discourse on the rebirth of the secularism discourse rests on an assumption of re-establishment of Hindutva hegemony.
• For them, Ram temple is seen as a symbol of reclamation of past glory and recovery of their damaged Hindu-masculinity.
• Liberal Constitutionalist Discourse: has led to an emergence of a dichotomy between the “Good” Hindu and “Bad” Hindu — 
• For, E.g. Being a “good” Hindu means expressing self-devotion to Ram and protesting the colonisation of Hinduism by political power.
• For them, Ram temple in Ayodhya will be a monument of violence, revenge, retaliation and collective narcissism as its foundation is not laid on the values of Ram.

Way Forward for Inclusive Secularism

• Stop branding politics as either Muslim-appeasement or Muslim-bashing and focus towards access to rights and justice. 
• Collective secular assertion involving multiple minorities to intensify claims of minority rights in India.

• Encourage more scholarship that undertakes comparative analysis across minority religions 

• Avoid dwelling on self-sustained political and ideological silos of singular community rights. 
• Movement away from fear psychosis to an active and direct political and legal confrontation with anti-democratic and exclusionary discourses of rights and justice.
• Active consolidation of minorities’ interest is urgently required to safeguard the ethic of democratic citizenship.

Conclusion: Contemporary secularism is neither about a demise nor rebirth of secularism; instead, it is an opportunity to reinvigorate its spirit by making it more inclusive.