Not Quite Secular Political Practice

Abstract

There is a widely held view that the rise of the Hindu right, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), challenged the Nehruvian consensus on political secularism with its emphasis on democracy, religious neutrality (or equal standing for all citizens, regardless of religion), and social justice. Even though the BJP may not demand a role for religious institutions or state support for religious rituals, its political vision and practices are the antithesis of secularism. It not only challenges the secular basis of the state but also seeks a communal reconstruction of national identity. It regards secularism as basically a code for anti-Hindu politics and derides the principle of minority rights, a key feature of Indian secularism, as an unwarranted privilege.¹ Much of what has been termed the “secularism debates” revolves around the conceptual and normative structure of secularism, which from viewpoints such as the BJP’s and communitarian scholars, is deeply flawed.² Very few scholars have looked at the political practices of major political parties and how they impact secularism.