Written By: Falakdipti
Abstract
Secularism
is a term that can be interpreted in multifarious ways by various people.
Although it is a modern concept, its roots lie in the philosophies of ancient
civilisations. The idea of secularism was introduced in India during the
British Raj as a tool to suppress the quest for independence by making the
predominately Hindu Indian National Congress prioritise and address concerns of
the minorities (Muslims), which then gradually led to India adapting into a
type of secularism different from most of the countries. Moreover, a few Indian
political leaders acted as catalysts to further establish the idea into the
constitution and our governing system. The word has become a means to normalise
and justify Hinduphobia, which goes against what secularism strives for. The
country every day faces instances where the authorities of the nation execute
minority favouritism under the garb of secularism. This paper aims to address
the characteristics of neo-secularism, better known as pseudo-secularism in
India, cite some examples of it and provide suggestions for the problems
addressed in the study.
Keywords:
Appeasement, Neo, Pseudo, Religion, Secular
Introduction and Background
"Secularism
is not only in our constitution but also in our veins. We worship Mother Nature
too. We believe that the world is our family." - Narendra Modi[1]
The
preamble of the Indian Constitution states that India is a secular country. The
word was added to the Constitution by Indira Gandhi’s government in the 42nd
amendment (also known as the ‘Mini Constitution’ and the Constitution of
Indira’) in 1946[4]
to ensure that every citizen of the nation enjoys religious freedom and the
government does not execute favouritism towards a particular religion or compel
people to adopt a certain faith. Everybody has the freedom to espouse and
publicise any religion and acquire any non-secular building.
However,
in reality, present-day secularism in India does more harm than good. What was
introduced to establish equality among all religious communities and put an end
to communal hatred has become a political tool and a euphemism for Hinduphobia.
This is known as neo-secularism, also known as pseudo-secularism in layman
language.[5] It
involves an anti-majority attitude and minority appeasement done especially by
political parties in most cases.
The
first use of the term ‘pseudo-secularism’ in a recorded format was found in the
book Philosophy and Action of the RSS for the Hind Swaraj by Anthony
Elenjimittam.[6]
In the Indian context, it is used to describe government policies that involve
minority appeasement. The term pseudo-secular is used to refer to those people
and groups who claim to be secular but are anti-Hindu, which is the majority
religion, and pro-minority.[7]
It
is not widely known that the term pseudo-secularism or neo-secularism actually
originated amidst the disagreement between Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel. The former, who was quoted as someone who “suffered from a
monumental inferiority complex” by the Gettysburg Times[8] as
he held hostile views towards pro-Indian ideas wanted complete control over the
Indian National Congress and impose minority favouritism whereas the latter
supported Purushottam Das Tandon who was known to be proud of his nationality
and respected Indian culture and wanted the laws to apply to all citizens
equally, free of any sort of appeasement. Although Nehru lost the Congress
presidential elections, Tandon and Patel allowed him to join the Congress Working
Committee nonetheless. However, after Sardar Patel passed away just three
months after the event, elections were held again which led Tandon and his
supporters to resign.[9]
Nehru
further established his pseudo-secular stance by passing draconian laws that
specifically targeted religious practices of Hindus, known as the Hindu Code
Bill of 1950.[10]
Even
the addition of the word ‘Secular’ in the preamble during Indira Gandhi’s
regime continues to be a topic of controversy. B.R. Ambedkar had clearly mentioned
why he did not find it necessary to add the word to the Preamble. He reasoned
that the whole constitution itself embodied secularism.[11]
Since the word was added by Indira’s government during the emergency when
almost all major opposition leaders were behind bars, the validity of the amendment
has always been a subject of question.[12]
Literature
Review
According
to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED Vol IX 1978), secularism is the doctrine
that believes that morality should solely be based on the regard of the
well-being of mankind and be exclusive of all considerations that are drawn
from the belief of God.
Dr
Radhakrishnan in his book ‘Recovery of Faith’ stated that Calling India a
secular state does not imply that the reality of unseen spirits or the
relevance of religion to life should be rejected. It also does not mean that
secularism itself becomes a religion or that State is something to be seen as a
divine entity. It stands for giving all religions equal status and preference
to none.[13]
Donald
E. Smith of Pennsylvania University in his book ‘India as a Secular State’
defined a secular state as one that guarantees individuals freedom of religion,
deals with its people as citizens irrespective of his religion does not
constitutionally connect to a particular religion and last but not the least,
does not seek to promote or interfere with religion.[14]
Is
India a Pseudo-Secular Nation?
Secularism's main goal is to eliminate discrimination based on the religion of people.
However, according to renowned American historian Ronald Inden, Indian
‘secularism’ is starkly different from secularism in the west and is actually
minority appeasement which involves selective discrimination against Hindu
communities. The application of secularism should not be anything more than
giving freedom and equality to people of all religions, although unfortunately
in India, it has become an instrument for certain political parties to propagate
Hinduphobia and appease minorities for votes in the election season.[15]
In 2018, acclaimed archaeologist Dr R. Nagaswamy affirmed at a history
conference held by the Indian Council of Historical Research that Secularism in
India means Anti-Hinduism.[16]
Examples
of Indian Pseudo-Secularism
1. Although
the majority of the Indian population is Hindu, birth anniversaries of Hindu
deities Ram and Krishna are not on the list of the 14 compulsory central
government holidays. However, the birthday of the Islamic prophet Mohammad and
both the birth and crucifixion day of the Christian prophet Jesus are
compulsory holidays throughout the country. Moreover, there are only two Hindu
holidays on the list mentioned, which is two less than Islamic holidays.[17]
2. The
‘secular’ constitution of India allows the government to exercise authority
over Hindu temples and trusts by appointing the nominees and even control the
temple funds, but the government does not have the privilege to do the same to
mosques or churches by interfering in their functioning even if they utilise
the financial aid provided by the government with taxpayers’ money. The
minority institutions are not obliged to comply with the Right to Education act
either.[18]
3. The
Archaeological Survey of India published a long list of temples in 1925 that was
demolished during the Islamic rule. The same, however, never got the same media
coverage as the Babri Masjid demolition in the pseudo-secular environment of
India.[19]
4. The
TMC government in West Bengal used to pay a monthly stipend to Imams of all
mosques in the state at the expense of taxpayers’ money. However, the same
facility is not provided to Hindu priests of temples. It was the Calcutta High
Court that scraped this provision in 2013.[20]
Moreover, the Hajj subsidy, which will finally be abolished in 2022 as per the
Supreme Court’s orders, was running in the country since independence, although
even Islamic countries like Pakistan had no such schemes for their citizens.[21]
5. India
does not have a Uniform Civil Code which means that people of all religions in
the country can perform rituals and practices according to their religious
texts and traditions. It is to be noted that although practices such as
polygamy, sati and animal sacrifice are banned for Hindus,[22]
Indian Muslim males are allowed to keep up to four times. The infamous teen
talaq custom was outlawed quite recently during BJP’s regime. Though the Shah
Bano case is still a standing example of how secularism in the real world
applies only to Hindus.[23]
Research
Questions
1. What
makes the ‘secularism’ in India different from that of western nations?
2. How
neo-secularism in India has become a synonym of minority appeasement and
Hinduphobia?
Objective
The
objective of this study is to understand the original meaning of secularism and
how it is different from the secularism implemented in India. The study also
aims to understand how the policy of certain political groups creates
differences in religious communities by expressing favouritism to a few
religious groups. The third goal is to identify the issues and then provide
reasonable and feasible solutions to the problems.
Methodology
Qualitative data was referred to for this study. All necessary information was collected from primary and secondary sources such as books, journals, articles, archival data, and online sources. The data referred to are from credible sources and based on rigorous research which covers all the objectives of this study hence providing accurate information.
Discussion and Results
The results of the research paper represent that the practice of minority appeasement which has now been ingrained into our political system since independence is what differentiates Indian secularism from Western secularism. Instead of being a policy to achieve equality in the nation, it has become a tool to gain votes and favour of the general public. The policies of old leaders such as Nehru still have an impact on the Indian civic sphere.
While researching on the topic of the study, it was evident that the area requires more extensive research since most of the research papers available focus on explaining the current concept of secularism without correlating it with the original idea.
Most of the information provided in the study is based on factual data available on credible internet sources. However, the reliability of some information cited may be slightly politically biased, depending on the individual, but when combined with the factual information present, this limitation can be considered negligible.
From the data collected for this research, it can be observed that the current situation and definition of secularism in India needs improvement to avoid disharmony and conflict between religious sects. It is also important to protect the gullible citizens from political leaders who thrive off of immoral practices in the name of secularism.
The most necessary and obvious step that must be taken to achieve true secularism in India is the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code. Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde lauded Goa’s Uniform Civil Code in March 2021[24], citing it as a ‘shining example’ for the country. The law would be applicable to all religious communities in almost all their personal matters such as marriage, adoption, inheritance, divorce, etc. [25]
The election commission of India should also ensure that political organisations do not engage in minority appeasement and create a rift between religious groups for their vote bank. The central government and the Supreme and High Courts should ensure that the governments of all states stay away from engaging in pseudo-secularism.
Changes are required in the judicial system as well. If the court gets involved in an incident where a religious custom that is shared by another religion(s) as well is present, then the concerned court must deliver a decision that would be applicable to all the religions. For example, if animal sacrifice is banned for Hindus it should be banned for other religions as well.
Conclusion
Ever since social media has become more easily accessible, conversations about pseudo-secularism in India have become a lot more frequent. As stated in the study, secularism can be defined in different ways by different people. Although Indian philosophers were one of the first to come up with the earliest ideas of secularism, the current-day system is probably the farthest it can go from the original essence, possibly due to the British introducing it to the country in order to obstruct the movements of independence and making it part of our civic system. It involves minority appeasement and an anti-majority attitude, which in India’s case is Hinduphobia. It can range from subtly offensive remarks on Hindu rituals, customs or attire to discrimination against them on a legal and political scale.
An infernal difference can be seen between the description of secularism opined by eminent people in the context of western countries and in the context of India. Discrimination against the majority religion can be observed in court judgments, policies by some governments and parties, and even compulsory central holidays.
Such actions have spiked the communal tension in the country numerous times and will continue to do so unless certain steps are taken. As suggested Uniform Civil Code ought to be implemented to deliver true equality to all citizens of the country, along with several other measures.
[1] Secularism is not only in our constitution but also in our veins. We worship Mother Nature too. We believe that the world is our family. Narendra Modi. (2014). Quote Master. https://www.quotemaster.org/q6c8fa5bbe355e6e88222200104877f23
[21] Mahapatra, D. (2012, May 9). Abolish Haj subsidy in 10 years: Supreme Court. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Abolish-Haj-subsidy-in-10-years-Supreme-Court/articleshow/13058161.cms
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