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.
1. 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
2. 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 —
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.
1. 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
2. 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 —
Related Articles
