SECULARISM

For the first time since
Independence, India is at a crossroads of secular and Hindu Rashtra (nation)
ideologies. The Constitution of India is ambivalent about secularism,
pandering to the demands of both the majority and minority communities. The
founding fathers could not even agree on calling the Constitution ‘secular’.
The word ‘secular’ became a part of the Preamble only during the ‘Emergency’.
There is no consensus yet on its definition. In the process, secularism,
though declared by the Supreme Court as a part of the ‘basic structure’ of
the Constitution, has lost all credibility. Godbole’s thoughtful and
comprehensive agenda for strengthening secularism includes setting up a
constitutional commission on secularism, the separation of religion from
politics, defining the words ‘secular’ and ‘minorities’, doing away with the
freedom to propagate religion, an amendment of Article 48 by deleting the
provision prohibiting cow slaughter and increasing the role and
responsibilities of the central government. The implementation of this will
require national consensus, statesmanship, maturity and far-sightedness.
Secularism should be a must-read for the youth of this country, political
parties, legislators, professionals, academia, media, social thinkers and
opinion-makers. For, no other issue will decide the future of India as
decisively.