secularism myth or reality...write an essay in detail!!
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The debate on the myth and reality of Indian secularism got an impetus when the Director General ISPR, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, at a news briefing on December 6 advised New Delhi to first be secular in letter and spirit instead of advising Pakistan to follow a secular mode of governance as a precondition to have normal relations with India.
The DG ISPR was referring to the comment of Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat which he made at the National Defence Academy in Pune on November 30 that “Pakistan has made its state an Islamic state. If they have to stay together with India, they’ve to develop as a secular state. We are a secular state. If they’re willing to become secular like us, then they seem to have an opportunity.” In fact, General Rawat was responding to a remark about Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan which he made during the Kartarpur corridor ceremony that Islamabad was willing to go an extra mile for establishing normal and friendly relations with New Delhi.
Secularism per se means a mode of governance in which state remains neutral in religious matters and is not supposed to tilt in favour of a particular religion. Secularism also means that religion is a private and personal matter and followers of all religions must be treated equally. Constitutionally, India is a secular state because according to the 42nd amendment made to the Indian constitution in 1976, its preamble mentions India as a secular nation.
Following the rise of Hindutva and the surge of communal politics in India in the form of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Shiv Sena, the Bajrang Dal and the Sangpariwar, erosion of secularism got an impetus. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its communal allies managed to seek power for the first time in 1998. The moderate face of the BJP got transformed in 2014 when the arch communalist and former chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi came to power and began erasing not only the Muslim legacy of India but also challenging secular face of his country.
While the breach of secularism today is seen in many secular countries of the world, including in the West, the case of India is unique. While the 42nd amendment to the Indian constitution added the word ‘secular’ to its preamble, there is lack of uniformity as far as personal laws of Hindus, Muslims and Christians are concerned. The state of India is unable to uniform laws for majority and minority schools.