India, since its independence in 1947, has been a secular state, meaning that it does not favor any particular religion or interfere in religious affairs. The secular values were enshrined in the constitution of India, which was adopted in 1949. But nowadays scholars, activists, responsible politicians and literate citizens doubt or question India being a secular country. Before delving into deeper detail, let’s first understand what a secular country is.
So, when a country is called secular?
A secular country is one that does not have an official state religion. It also does not favor or discriminate against any religion or irreligion. In a secular country, the government and the religious authorities work independently of each other. A secular country aims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof. It also avoids any interference or influence of religion in its laws and policies.
Before we draw any conclusion, let us examine two major aspects of secularism in India: the constitutional provisions and the role of religion in politics.
What does Indian constitution say about secularism?
As a legal formality, the word “secular” was added to the Preamble of the Indian Constitution through the 42nd amendment of the constitution in 1976. This amendment, enacted during the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was part of a series of changes brought about during the Emergency period (1975-1977). However, Articles 14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 27 of the Indian Constitution have been fundamental in establishing the secular framework of the nation since the day the constitution was adopted. They outline the principles of equality, freedom of religion, and protection against discrimination and exploitation. Here’s a detailed overview:
- Article 14 prohibits any discrimination by the State against any individual on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. It upholds the secular value by ensuring equal legal status and protection for all citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs.
- Article 15 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth for access to shops, public restaurants, hotels, and places of public entertainment, as well as the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads, and places of public resort. It strengthens secularism by ensuring that no citizen is discriminated against on religious grounds in matters of access to public places and services.
- Article 16 dictates equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State. No citizen can be discriminated against or be ineligible for any employment or office under the State on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them. This article enforces secularism by mandating equal employment opportunities in government jobs, regardless of religious affiliations.
- Article 25 dictates freedom of religion. It says all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion. However, this right is subject to public order, morality, health, and other provisions related to Fundamental Rights. It embodies the essence of secularism by providing every citizen the right to practice, profess, and propagate their religion freely.
- Article 26 dictates freedom to manage religious affairs. Every religious denomination or any section thereof has the right to manage its own affairs in matters of religion. It can establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes and manage its own affairs in matters of religion. This respects the internal autonomy of religious groups, an important aspect of a secular state.
- Article 27 specifies freedom from taxes for promotion of any religion. No person shall be compelled to pay any taxes for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination. The State cannot use public funds collected through taxes for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion. This ensures the State’s neutrality in religious matters, a cornerstone of secularism.
India's constitutional framework firmly establishes the country as a secular state, emphasizing equality before the law, freedom of religion, and non-discrimination on religious grounds. However, the practical application of these constitutional mandates is encountering challenges, particularly in the political arena. Political parties in India, especially BJP have been accused of violating these constitutional guidelines. Instances of political campaigns and strategies that cater to or exploit religious sentiments are common. This behavior leads to the marginalization of certain communities, fostering communal tensions, and undermining the secular ethos enshrined in the Constitution. While the Indian legal system and independent institutions strive to uphold secular principles, the politicization of religion remains a contentious issue, reflecting a gap between constitutional ideals and political realities. This discord raises the question of whether India is still a secular country. Let's answer this question now.
Is India still a secular country?
So, a secular country does not have an official state religion. Yes, India does not have an official state religion on papers. But the government's active participation in religious activities of the Hindu religion gives clear indication that the Hindu religion is being considered as a state religion. Also, a secular country does not favor any religion. But the BJP government is openly favoring Hindu religion ignoring all other religions in the county. It is worth mentioning here that Syama Prasad Mukherjee, who was the leader of the Hindu Maha Sabha and later played an important role in making the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later evolved into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was of the opinion that because Muslims have their own country, India should be a Hindu nation.
How is the Modi government openly favoring Hindu religion?
In a secular country, the state head always keeps distance from religious matters. For example, when the Somnath temple was first rejuvenated in 1951, the PM Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru was invited for the inauguration. But Pt. Nehru declined on the grounds that he was a state head so he had nothing to do with this ceremony. President Rajendra Prasad did attend that but it is said that Pt. Nehru advised him not to attend that ceremony. Even though the president attended that ceremony, he did not say any word about religion while delivering his speech there. In contrast, the Modi government has been openly favoring Hinduism over other religions in India. One of the most controversial examples is the construction of a Ram temple on the site of a demolished mosque in Ayodhya, which has sparked protests from Muslims and secular activists. PM Narendra Modi himself performed the 'Pran Pratishtha' rituals in Ayodhya's Ram Mandir, on Monday, January 22, 2024. This is not the only instance of the government’s involvement in Hindu religious projects. Here are some of the other initiatives that the Modi government has launched or supported in the name of Hindu culture and heritage:
Government efforts to rejuvenate Hindu Temples
- Kashi Vishwanath Corridor: This project aims to expand and beautify the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex in Varanasi, one of the most sacred sites for Hindus. The government acquired around 400 buildings in the vicinity of the temple and demolished them to make way for the corridor. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the project in 2021, claiming that it would boost tourism and development in the city.
- Somnath Temple: The Somnath temple in Gujarat, dedicated to Lord Shiva, has a history of being attacked and looted by foreign invaders. The Modi government has undertaken a renovation and beautification project for the temple, which is overseen by the Shree Somnath Trust, chaired by Modi himself.
- Kedarnath Temple Renovation: The Kedarnath temple, another shrine of Lord Shiva, was severely damaged by the floods that hit Uttarakhand in 2013. The Modi government launched a reconstruction project for the temple, which also includes building roads, bridges, helipads, and other infrastructure. Modi has visited the temple several times and expressed his personal devotion to the site.
- Ram Mandir in Ayodhya: The Ram temple in Ayodhya is perhaps the most contentious and symbolic project of the Modi government. The temple is being built on the site where a 16th-century mosque, known as the Babri Masjid, once stood. Modi laid the foundation stone for the temple in August 2020, calling it a historic moment for India.
- Char Dham Project: This project aims to provide all-weather connectivity to four holy towns in Uttarakhand – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. These towns are part of the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit, which is considered one of the most sacred journeys for Hindus. The project involves building 900 km of national highways, tunnels, bridges, and bypasses. Modi laid the foundation stone for the project, which is estimated to cost Rs 12,000 crore.
- Temple Revamp in Kashmir: After revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, the Modi government initiated renovation works at several temple complexes in the Kashmir Valley, which has a Muslim majority. The government claimed that the temples were neglected and vandalized during the years of militancy and unrest in the region. Some of the temples that have been restored or renovated include the Martand Sun Temple, the Sharika Devi Temple, and the Raghunath Temple in Srinagar.
- Temples Abroad: Modi has also shown interest in promoting Hinduism outside of India, especially in countries with a large Indian diaspora. He has laid the foundation stones for Hindu temples in the UAE and Bahrain, two Muslim-majority countries. In 2018, he inaugurated the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, and in 2019, he launched a renovation project for the 200-year-old Shreenathji temple in Bahrain.
Hindu rituals mark major events in India under Modi’s government.
Hindu rituals are also performed by the government itself before launching major projects or inaugurating new buildings.
One of the most controversial examples of this trend was the Bhoomi Poojan ceremony, a ritual to worship the
earth and seek its blessings, conducted by Modi for the new parliament building in December 2020 and for the
Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020. Another Hindu ritual that has been frequently used by Modi
and his government is the Yajna, a fire sacrifice to invoke the gods and seek their blessings for the
success and prosperity of a new venture. This ritual was performed by Modi and other dignitaries for the
inauguration of the Statue of Unity, a 182-meter statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a freedom fighter and
India’s first home minister, in Gujarat in October 2018.
Modi has also performed the Bhoomi Poojan ceremony for several infrastructure projects, such as the
Ahmedabad and Surat Metro Rail Projects. The Department of Atomic Energy in India conducted the same ritual
for the expansion of the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed university that offers academic
programs in nuclear science and engineering.
The latest Hindu ritual to be performed by Modi and his government was the Prana Pratishtha, a ceremony to
infuse life into an idol of a deity and install it in a temple. This ritual was carried out by Modi and
several Hindu priests for the Ram Mandir temple on January 22, 2024. The inauguration of the temple was not
officially declared as a state celebration by the central government of India, but it was widely celebrated as state celebration by the central government
and by many other state governments and political parties across the
country and abroad. Some states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, announced
public holidays or half-days on January 22, 2024, to mark the occasion.
The original question.
Coming back to the original question, does India satisfy the definition of a secular country? India does not have any state religion, but from the aforementioned detail anyone can justify that India’s unofficially declared state religion is Hindu. A secular country does not favor any religion, but this is not true for India.
One identification of a secular country is that the head of state is neither a religious head nor does it work under a religious institution. But the BJP is the political wing of the RSS, which is a Hindu religious organization. One identification of a secular country is that the government and the religion work independent of each other. Because the BJP being a political wing of RSS, is largely influenced by RSS’s Hindu ideology.
Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019 fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants from neighboring countries, while excluding Muslims. This is a potential violation of article 14, which guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. The CAA's exclusion of Muslims from its provisions is discriminatory and contrary to the principle of equality.
Construction of a Hindu Temple at Ayodhya was a judicial discrimination against Muslims. The Supreme Court's verdict was based on its interpretation of the law, but the decision impacted secular principles of the country. Promotion of cow protection laws and vigilante groups is potential violation of article 21, which guarantees the protection of life and personal liberty, because this led to violence and lynchings of Muslims. Additionally, article 15 is also violated because these laws and actions disproportionately target Muslim community.
Conclusion: Re-evaluating India's Secular Status
While India constitutionally remains without a state religion and the constitution clearly dictates the country as secular, the government's actions, particularly under the BJP's rule, demonstrate a noticeable tilt towards Hinduism. The intertwining of religion and state, as evidenced by the government's endorsement of Hindu projects and rituals, suggests a deviation from the secular ethos. In light of these developments one can conclude that it is gradually transitioning towards a state where one religion influences governmental decisions and national identity more than other religions.