Indian press is abuzz with the word secularism nowadays – each politician defining it to suit and meet his or her needs. Holyoake coined the word secularism as a social order that is not based upon religion but does not reject religious belief. Thus people can practice religion but will not bring their religious views and practices to bear upon the political and civic discourse that involves people of other faiths. Thus he did not suggest that are religious faith and practices in a secular state be rejected altogether but that the political discourse and structure and religious discourse and structure be separate. Gandhi, a person of faith, did not reject faith but promoted that all religions be treated equally by the state (sarva dharma sambhaav). In a country where religious faith and practices are intertwined with culture and social behavior, this definition made sense. Gandhi knew India and its people. He knew that the moral fabric of this country was based upon religion and hence, religion cannot be done away with it but wanted that all religions are treated equally.
Unfortunately, the politicians in India have turned this definition on its head. While they have done away with religion as the foundation of their behavior, they constantly bring religion in the political discourse and electoral calculations. They abuse the term secularism to induce the followers of one or the other faith to vote in a particular way, with one group of parties vying for the followers of smaller religions who generally vote en block and hence have become priceless vote banks and the other group promoting itself as the defender of the majority religion. The former reject the whole corpus of majority religion as archaic overlooking and even supporting anachronisms in smaller religions. The latter adore the whole corpus of the majority religion defending all its foibles and follies rejecting the preferential treatment of the minority vote banks as appeasement.
All this talk of secularism diverts attention of the electorate from the real issues of India: the economy, integrity, health and safety, and education. Indian economy has not been able to provide the infrastructure that modern economies need; cities lack power and water; people lack sanitary facilities; healthcare is riddled with ills that Amir Khan has so aptly shown in his Satyameva Jayate, and education is geared to producing English speaking workers for multinational corporations without creating citizens of character and integrity who know and are proud of their history and heritage.
India needs honest politicians to join hands to make a collective front for the development of India against the corrupt politicians who use the ploy of secularism for vote bank politics. The focus in India should be on growth and development and improving the quality of life of common folks, rather than on fear mongering in the name of religion for capturing votes. And religion should be harnessed to improve the moral fabric so that the corrupt do not steal the bread that feeds the poor. The divisive politics of pseudosecularism will fragment India into vote-enclaves of different OBCs, religions, languages and tribes, each ruled by a corrupt enclave politician.
Unfortunately, the politicians in India have turned this definition on its head. While they have done away with religion as the foundation of their behavior, they constantly bring religion in the political discourse and electoral calculations. They abuse the term secularism to induce the followers of one or the other faith to vote in a particular way, with one group of parties vying for the followers of smaller religions who generally vote en block and hence have become priceless vote banks and the other group promoting itself as the defender of the majority religion. The former reject the whole corpus of majority religion as archaic overlooking and even supporting anachronisms in smaller religions. The latter adore the whole corpus of the majority religion defending all its foibles and follies rejecting the preferential treatment of the minority vote banks as appeasement.
All this talk of secularism diverts attention of the electorate from the real issues of India: the economy, integrity, health and safety, and education. Indian economy has not been able to provide the infrastructure that modern economies need; cities lack power and water; people lack sanitary facilities; healthcare is riddled with ills that Amir Khan has so aptly shown in his Satyameva Jayate, and education is geared to producing English speaking workers for multinational corporations without creating citizens of character and integrity who know and are proud of their history and heritage.
India needs honest politicians to join hands to make a collective front for the development of India against the corrupt politicians who use the ploy of secularism for vote bank politics. The focus in India should be on growth and development and improving the quality of life of common folks, rather than on fear mongering in the name of religion for capturing votes. And religion should be harnessed to improve the moral fabric so that the corrupt do not steal the bread that feeds the poor. The divisive politics of pseudosecularism will fragment India into vote-enclaves of different OBCs, religions, languages and tribes, each ruled by a corrupt enclave politician.
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