Why

Secularism?

Why Secularism?
Uday Dandavate (September 19th, 2013)

The leadership of the RSS has consistently undermined the concept of secularism. They have introduced into political discourse phrases such as pseudo secularism, appeasement of minorities (Muslims) and more recently, Love Jihad to deliberately build a loyal constituency amongst Hindu majority for achieving their ultimate objective of turning India into a homogenous society.

Unfortunately for the RSS, secularism is a part of the basic structure of Indian constitution and it cannot ever be changed through an amendment, even if BJP assumes power with 2/3rd majority.

In 1973, thirteen judges of the Supreme Court, including then Chief Justice Sikri, who heard arguments in Kesavananda Bharati v. The State of Kerala the court held, by a margin of 7-6 that although no part of the constitution, including fundamental rights, was beyond the amending power of Parliament the "basic structure of the Constitution could not be abrogated even by a constitutional amendment".

Chief Justice Sikri, writing for the majority, indicated that the basic structure consists of the following:

The supremacy of the constitution. A republican and democratic form of government. The secular character of the Constitution. Maintenance of the separation of powers. The federal character of the Constitution.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organization of the BJP, has championed the concept of a Hindu Rashtra for the past sixty plus years. It is important to realize that they can implement their vision only through subversion of Indias constitution.

To appreciate why secularism is a part of the basic structure of Indian constitution, it is important to understand the concept of secularism. Secularism is a principle that involves two basic propositions. The first is the strict separation of the state from religious institutions. The second is that people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law. Contrary to common misperception, secularism does not deny individual citizens the right to practice their religion, rather it provides both believers and non believers the freedom of pursuing their thought and conscience, insofar as it does not impinge disproportionately on the rights and freedoms of others. Opponents of secularism often equate secular minded people with atheists. Atheism is a lack of belief in gods. Secularism simply provides a framework for a democratic society, where government must ensure equitable distribution of resources. The principle of secularism endows in the state the power and the responsibility to protect human rights of its citizens, regardless of their faith.

As India goes to elect its new parliament in less than a year, it is important to understand that the principle of secularism is critical for maintaining stability of our intercultural society and for providing security to our intercultural communities. Secular framework of the constitution will only ensure empowering of Indias diverse population with education, employment, and justice so that full potential of our population could be cultivated and harnessed.

The blame for undermining of secularism does not fall entirely in the lap of the RSS or BJP. Vote bank politics has historically got in the way of social reforms. Politicians of all hues have taken advantage of the sense of insecurity and

injustice amongst the minorities. Politicians lack courage to stand behind social reformers in different communities who have fought against injustice and superstitions inherent within their own religion. Politicians have courted orthodoxy rather than reformers. They have failed miserably in protecting a Shah Bano or a Rup Kanwar; a Hamid Dalwai, a Asghar Ali Engineer or a Narendra Dabholkar.

After damning secularism for years, Mr. L.K. Advani discovered the value in the idea of secularism when he termed Mohmad Ali Jinah a secular leader during his visit to Karachi in 2005. The RSS organization made Mr. Advani pay for his reconciliatory tone towards a sworn enemy of the proponents of Hindu Rashtra by forcing him to resign as a President of the BJP after his comment in Karachi. Mr. Narendra Modi, too discovered the value in the idea of secularism when at his recent rally in Rewari he called Indian Army the most secular entity. It would be amusing to watch Mr. Modi resolve the paradox between his agenda for inciting Hindu nationalism and the need for reaching out to the minorities. During the election campaign we will be hearing new interpretations of secularism from a man who is applauded by his supporters for having put fear of god in the minds of minority community. The truth however is, that there is only one clear explanation of the concept of Secularism, which is provided earlier in this blog.

In writing this blog, my hope is that the electorate of India will not be swayed by the campaign rhetoric against secularism. I also hope that the youth of India will appreciate that India can become a modern and prosperous country only if we stand by those who are trying to bring about social reforms within their communities.

In closing I quote Mustafa Kemal Atatrk, the first president of Turkey, a country known worldwide as a nation of Muslim majority committed to secular and modern way of life. He championed political, economic, and cultural reforms,

seeking to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern, secular, and democratic nation-state. He said, My people are going to learn the principles of democracy the dictates of truth and the teachings of science. Superstition must go. Let them worship as they will, every man can follow his own conscience provided it does not interfere with sane reason or bid him act against the liberty of his fellow men.

There is much to be learned from the history of this Muslim majority nation, which embarked on a path of modernization by committing to the principle of secularism.