Since the 42nd amendment of the constitution, India has been a secular country explicitly. But to what extent it is true in the context of Indian society and on the ground level? Hindus, which are majority in a country, want a Hindurashtra . We will look into some points here which support and contradict the claim of India as a Hindurashtra.
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Hindu Rashtra: The battle of the word "Secular" in Indian constitution
Shree Brajeshwar Prasad, a Loksabha Member from Gaya, Bihar, had first moved a motion in the Constituent Assembly to introduce the words “Secular” and “Socialist” in the preamble of the constitution. But the Constituent Assembly explicitly rejected this motion. Before rejecting this motion, there was a broad discussion on this. There were many statements passed in support and against it.
The word “Secular” was not explicitly introduced in the preamble of the Indian constitution still we can see secularism has been maintained in other parts of the constitution, which shows secularism, either implicitly or explicitly, was in the soul of the Indian Constitution since its inception. Later Smt Indira Gandhi, during the period of emergency, introduced the word “Secular” in the preamble of the Indian constitution through the 42nd amendment.
India is a secular state forcefully, the aspiration of Islamic ideology was fulfilled by Indira Gandhi by amending the constitution in 1976.
Hindu Rashtra:" Secular India" on the ground level
In India, Secularism is a very complicated word. If you try to define it in the context of one community you may be right, but at the same time, you will be completely wrong for another community. This complication has led to the appeasement politics in India. The Independence of India, itself was communal, its result was Pakistan. Around 1,80,000 people were killed, and 6 million Muslims and 4.5 million Hindus and Sikhs became refugees due to communal riots. Still, Hindus are the most secular community in the world by nature and culture.
India is a secular state, till Hindus are in majority
A person is secular if the party he supports is in parliament. A Muslim will remain secular and speak secular if his representative is in power. This is the only truth on the ground level in India. Otherwise, the same Muslim leader will provoke the Muslim community for 15 minutes. It can be seen, where the Muslim community is in the majority.
केरल में मुस्लिम महिलाओं ने हिन्दू महिला पर बुर्का पहनने का डाला दबाव।
— उदयवीर सिंह चंदेल🇮🇳 (@UDAYBEER_) October 28, 2023
कहा, बस में चढ़ने से पहले बुर्का पहन कर आया करो।#Secularism #SecularIndia pic.twitter.com/EUlLeZH8UG
Secular India - What history says?
Pt. Nehru in the early period of independence was focused on secularism, but he later found that he could not move forward without communalism, and then the era of communal and appeasement politics started in the name of secularism. Sardar Patel, Bidhan Chandra Roy, etc raised their voice in the support of Hindus and Hindurashtra , but their voice was brutally suppressed by Nehru. The politics of appeasement to only one community has been the tradition since then for one party. It still continues. Its result can be seen in the Waqf Board and Muslim Personal Law Board.
Waqf owns land constantly growing with he help of illegal mazars along side roads & even on other non Islamic religious properties
— Bhupendra (@Bhupendra26) October 27, 2023
✋Congress agenda of appeasements made free flow
🧐Wakf board land scam does not have any relevance in the secular India. Act must be scrapped ASAP pic.twitter.com/kJedbMK6zb
Hindu Rashtra: Conclusion
What the Constitution guarantees is – Equality. Equality can be achieved through a number of ways. Secularism is one of them. It may be a right path for some factions but not for all. Religious factions will come and go, people should live in harmony. That should be the only agenda of secularism. But it doesn’t fulfill even iota of it. Instead, political parties are using it as a tool to gain power in politics.
In the end, it is people who suffer due to such laws which only creates a divide in the society. We need a law that prospers harmony in society. A leader can guide the masses to achieve unimaginable goals. In religious matters, we need a leader religion, and I think the broad and classic philosophy of Hinduism is the best to lead this pack. And Hindurashtra is the need of the time.