India got independence from British on 15/Aug/1947. After its independence, Indian leadership was in dilemma; that, what kind of constitution should be adopted to govern free India. On 26/Jan/1950, India became republic. On this day Constitution of India was enforced. India was a Hindu majority state. So, why secular politics was made the basis of the Indian Constitution ? The answer lies in the policy adopted by the constituent Assembly as the idea was to religious, regional, linguistic and cultural freedom to the people of all the shades and faiths. As constituent assembly favoured the idea of Socialist, Secularist and united India, it also laid emphasis on social, economic and political Justice to the people irrespective of their religious, regional, linguistic and cultural affiliations. To ensure equity, liberty, fraternity through the provisions of its constitution among its masses the constituent assembly set the agenda of a popular rule in the preamble of its constitution. For the objective of making strong India, keeping in view, “unity and integrity”, secularism was made the basis to govern India and to enforce unity and integrity of the country as India had 2nd largest about 9.8 %( 34 million) muslim population at that time. To govern people of different religions having 15.9% population of other religions including Muslims, the Constituent assembly decided to take care of the interests of all sections of society for making India strong enough to remove all scopes for the attempts of disintegration in future. So, this is why? Indian Constitution of India was framed and secularism became the core political ideology of the country. As the two nation theory was adopted on religious lines to create Pakistan from India as a Muslim majority State and most of the people migrated from India to Pakistan and Pakistan to India, still many Muslims did not migrate, even after Indian Muslims were given the opportunity to live in an Islamic State. Still Muslims of India preferred to live in India willingly and they opposed two nation theory of M.A.Jinnah. Yet again Islam was second largest religion of India at the time of Independence and there was 9.8% Muslim (34 million) population in 1951 in India. The sense of equal participation of the people of all religions of India lent lot of credence to the freedom struggle fought jointly by the people of all religions-hindus, muslim, Sikhs and others. So secularism became the country;s core political ideology by consensus. Before independence of India, there were many muslim leaders of India, like Moulana Abul kalam Azad, Moulana Hasrat Mohani, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi).etc, who fought vigorously for the freedom of India. It is due to their involvement in freedom struggle that Moulana Abul kalam Azad was elected first Minister of Education in free India and Dr Zakir Hussain third president of India. In 1905, many Muslims, who opposed partition of Bengal. In same way, there were many Muslim leaders, who tried to resist partition of India, but failed. So, INC (having several Muslim members), which struggled for freedom and making united India played an important role in framing the Constitution of India and making secularism its core political ideology. Word “secular” was inserted in the preamble of Indian Constitution by 42th amendment with the intent to give equal treatment to people of all religions. The preamble of Indian Constitution recognizes single citizenship, which can review democratic ideals and justice among the masses of the India.
To create environment of fraternity, secularism acts as its base. Without secularism, India can’t remain united and strong. From 1990s decline of Congress in Indian parliamentary system has changed scene of secularism in actual practice. As the new faces like L.K.Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti emerged, Babri Masjid was demolished in early nineties. Violence rose to new heights unprecedentedlyas the war between Muslims and Hindus resulted into many deaths. It continued, till supreme court of the country announced judgment in 2010,but dispute continued. In 2014,BJP backed by RSS took over the reins of power at the centre . Constitution of India was touched in such a manner that inspirations of Muslims were hit by the introduction of Triple Talaq Bill in the parliament. In many parts of India, Muslims are ruthlessly beaten, their houses and shops are being damaged. At many places Hindu-Muslim conflicts occur and re-occur. Asifa Bano,a minor girl, 8 years old in Rassana village of Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir was gang raped and murdered. Several videos over social media went viral that showed hindu young guys beating muslim men, women and children on the grounds carrying or cooking beef. Reciting Azan on loudspeakers was banned. On social media sites, videos are going viral that show hindus claiming “India is a State of Hindus”. On one side, Government launched “Beti Bachow, Beti Padhow” scheme, but on another side Muslim women or children are feeling unsafe in the hands of some politically influential Hindu people. These kinds of anti-national activities are not checked or controlled, and as such pose a threat to the unity of the country. As the, Article (25) ,deals with freedom of conscience and right to profess, practice and propagate any religion, Triple Talaq is religious affair of Muslims. So,Triple Talaq Bill is unconstitutional keeping in view the explanation of Article 25 of Indian Constitution. At last we reach to a conclusion that secularism in Indian Constitution is unsafe, when importance is given to whims and wishes of hindu communalists. It is the responsibility of Indian leaders to protect Constitution of India in actual practice by preventing occurrence of conflicts among masses. Communalism can burry secularism. These concerns contrast each other. Muslims are as important in India as Hindus. So, unity should be maintained among people to respect and protect ideals of its Constitution. Parliamentarians, legislators, police officials and the authorities running civil administrations have to maintain unity in their respective areas of jurisdictions to make people India stronger and developed country. Political system has to be established for furtherance of the causes of general welfare of Indian people and to make Constitution of India a useful document. This is the idea of India as a welfare state.
(The author is a freelancer. Views are his own [email protected])
