Debate on secularism: a marketing gimmick to confuse voters

By Siddharth Shekhar Singh Observers of Indian political debates would conclude that secularism is the most important issue for the voters, and nothing else matters. They would also conclude that secularism is under threat from the BJP. The BJP defends its secular credentials by calling others pseudo-secular. Is this debate meaningful? Do we have secular and communal parties? How can a voter interpret this debate? Let me be blunt. The issue of secularism is a marketing gimmick to confuse the voters. The current debate on secularism is one of the biggest frauds on the hapless voters of India. As commonly understood across the world, secularism is a form of governance in which the affairs of the state are not based on religious considerations. In India, the concept of secularism has been twisted so much that it has lost its meaning. Although some minorities generally support the twisted version of secularism propagated by the so-called secular parties, ironically, they are the ones to lose the most from it. They would gain if everyone is treated as equal irrespective of religion. [caption id=“attachment_1525705” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandi. AFP[/caption] There are two important aspects of this issue. The first is the oft-repeated debate about which individual is secular. The second is the debate about which political party is secular. The first debate is false and dishonest. Consider a person who subscribes to a religion, say Christianity. The person is a Christian because the person chooses to believe in Christianity and its teachings over all others. And no religion believes all religions are equal. Secular Christian is an oxymoron, just like secular Muslim or secular Hindu. Perhaps those claiming to be secular are saying that as individuals, they believe that the government should treat all religions equally. However, that contradicts their support for the current lot of political parties that thrive on causes based on religion. Let us consider the BJP and the Congress—others are similar. Both believe in a secular government that treats everyone equally irrespective of their religion. In case of the BJP, critics suggest that it is not secular primarily because of its support for a uniform civil code, abrogation of article 370, and construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya through legal means. The Congress takes an opposite stand on the first two of these issues, and a similar stand on the third by leaving it to the courts. Consequently, one can legitimately argue that the BJP is more secular than the Congress — if there can be degrees of secularism. You have the BJP supporting equality of all citizens irrespective of their religion, and the Congress supporting differentiation among citizens based on religion. The Congress has also supported religion-based reservations that the BJP has opposed. Only in our convoluted politics the BJP has to defend its secular credentials while the Congress is generally considered secular. Both the Congress and the BJP ignore secularism in practice. The BJP has its much publicised lunatics whom it tolerates. The Congress proactively embraces equally malicious communal elements. We have a strange situation where all major national political parties explicitly support a secular government, but none of them is secular per their actions. And secularism does not mean much at the individual level. Given so much in common among politicians and political parties, it would be logical to conclude that secularism would be irrelevant in making a choice in this election. But that might not be the case. Sham debates on secularism have only one role — to confuse people and take their attention away from real issues; issues where most political parties have failed. So what is the reality? Informally, the BJP emphasises welfare of Hindus while formally proclaiming its belief in equality of all. It believes that India is secular due to the Indian culture which is predominantly Hindu in character. The belief is not unfounded—such examples of secularism, equality, and tolerance for minorities over centuries are rare. And the Hindu culture deserves some credit for it. The Congress formally emphasizes minority-first at the cost of the majority while claiming to believe in equality for all. In essence, the fight is over majority communalism versus minority communalism. So, what can the people do? Secularism protects minorities. Therefore, minorities have a far greater stake in it than the majority. It is important to understand that India is secular because the majority community wants it and not because minorities demand it. By supporting communal parties that favor them, and by pressing for communal demands, minorities in India undermine their long-term interests by strengthening reaction in the majority community. In the process, they damage the possibility of true secularism emerging in the country. Minorities must resist the temptation of short-term gains and demand true secularism in the country for long-term gains. The demand for a uniform civil code and other forms of equality must come from the minorities. Minorities have prospered in many other countries without special benefits, and can certainly do so in India if they are freed from religious fundamentalists. For those who want true secularism, the situation is difficult. The Aam Aadmi Party rooted in the India Against Corruption movement of Anna had presented a fresh alternative before Arvind Kejariwal turned out to be a mix of communists and the Congress following their policy of appeasement. On the other hand, if Modi does what he says he would do if he wins the elections, then he is the best bet for these political orphans. His belief in India first, economic development for all, and welfare of the poor, all promise a secular government. But how he deals with the lumpen elements within the BJP and its allies would test his credibility. Dr Siddharth S Singh is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of the Fellow Programme in Management at the Indian School of Business. He can be reached at Siddharth_singh@isb.edu. Views expressed are personal.