Is “secularism” really a threat to India?
On 6th March, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath made a statement criticizing the concept of “secularism.” He said “This word ‘secularism’ is the biggest threat to develop India’s prosperous traditions and give it a spot on the global stage,” at the first edition of his e-book Global Encyclopedia of Ramayana. This comment may be shocking but not surprising, Yogiji is prone to making such statements.
What does secularism even mean?
In simpler terms, secularism means that religion should not interfere with the affairs of the state. In India, it can also mean that people can practice whichever religion they want without facing any discrimination. Article 25 of the Indian constitution guarantees freedom of religion to every citizen of this country. The constitution of India itself is secular.
The only party which is or really trying to be secular is the Communist Party of India (Marxist). They have often voiced their opinions against the ordinances of the ruling right-wing party.
This might be off-topic but it is important to know that the BJP isn’t keen on listening to the criticisms made by scholars, intellectuals and the opposition. India’s democracy rank is deteriorating every year, the country is not looking good with regards to the political, social and economical environment. According to the report of the US-based organisation freedom house, India dropped from being a ‘free’ to a ‘partly free’ country. Also, the report of Varieties of Democracy a Swedish organisation that keeps an eye on the type of democracy operating in a country said that India is now an ‘electoral autocracy’ and is now in the top 10 worst performing democracies.
Coming back, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government had presented their 2021–22 budget naming it ‘Desh bhakti’ which means patriotism. The Delhi government had also planned on taking every elderly on a trip to Ram-mandir. The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is itself a controversial issue and whose construction was opposed by Arvind Kejriwal.
Does this mean that Arvind Kejriwal is a hypocrite? Yes, because he is trying to get the voters of BJP and also to answer the question ‘Is secularism really a threat to India?’ No, but politicians are who for their own benefit cannot separate religion and politics.