Death Knell of Secularism

Dr Suresh Mathew Dr Suresh Mathew
25 Jul 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled the Ashoka Pillar, the national emblem, on the top of the upcoming building, and he performed a puja according to Hindu rituals and prayers.

The country is set to get a new Parliament building to ‘house’ the sanctum sanctorum of democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled the Ashoka Pillar, the national emblem, on the top of the upcoming building, and he performed a puja according to Hindu rituals and prayers. Leaders, cutting across party lines, made disparaging remarks over conducting a religious ceremony of one faith when the Constitution of India stipulates that the State does not profess or practice any religion. Moreover, the Hindu rituals were held at a place which is to uphold the Constitution, the preamble of which proclaims India as a secular state.

Cut to a similar incident down South in Tamil Nadu. A DMK MP who had gone to attend Bhoomi puja marking the restoration work of a lake in his constituency blurted out at the government officials for conducting prayers and rituals of only Hindu religion. He blasted the officials for ignoring other religions and their leaders at a government function which is meant for all irrespective of religious affinities and affiliations. In a related development, Dravidar Munnetra Kazhagam has asked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to do away with religious ceremonies and rituals performed by priests in government functions. As the government belongs to all those who believed in different religions -- even atheists and agnostics -- avoiding rituals and religious ceremonies would protect the constitutional norms. Political probity demands that the State cannot differentiate between religions; it cannot treat one religion with special indulgence and ignore the others.

The puja at the installation of the national emblem is incongruous with the national ethos and constitutional propriety. It is unconstitutional to favour one religion, disregarding the others. The function of installing the 9500-kg Ashoka Pillar with rituals of the majority religion weighs down heavily on the secular tenets of the Constitution. Separation of religion from State and its functions is fundamental to a secular nation. The soul of secularism cannot be stained by rituals of a particular religion. The corner stone of secularism is State’s disengagement with religion.

The best example for separation of religion from the State and the Government came from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who expressed his displeasure over then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s decision to inaugurate the refurbished Somnath Temple. Nehru’s contention was that in a secular state, it is not advisable for the State personnel (in this case the head of the State) to get engaged in public activities related to any religion. It is this vision of Nehru on which a secular state should be built. If top constitutional and government functionaries get involved in rituals, pujas and prayers of any particular religion, it would sound the death knell of secularism.

India is not a theocratic state, unlike its neighbour Pakistan, but a secular one which gives every religion the right to be treated equally. The government that focuses on refurbishing and renovating religious places at the expense of public exchequer would do well to remember the stand Nehru took on the issue. It is tantamount to giving pride of place to the majority religion to the exclusion of others. Modi performing puja at the foundation laying ceremony of the grand temple at Ayodhya and during the unveiling of the national emblem atop Parliament building is diametrically opposed to secularism as enumerated in the Constitution. The government is ostensibly making the road to Hindu Rashtra wider and smoother.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ashok Stambh Constitution of India Religious ceremonies Secularism Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Hindu Rashtra Issue 31 2022 Indian Currents Indian Currents Magazine

Recent Posts

In a world scarred by war, hatred, and inhuman leadership, education must humanise, not merely inform. Sanjeevani Vidyapeeth shows how empowering the marginalised with values, character, and competenc
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
07 Jul 2025
The sinking of MSC ELSA 3 off Kerala's coast exposes a toxic mix of corporate impunity, political complicity, and environmental neglect. As hazardous cargo threatens lives and livelihoods, the silence
apicture Joseph Maliakan
07 Jul 2025
In a world slipping into chaos, where leaders trade threats and valorise violence, India mirrors this decay, silencing dissent, weaponising identity, and pushing the marginalised to the margins. The c
apicture Thomas Menamparampil
07 Jul 2025
When Fr. Stan Swamy died on July 5, 2021, the world of truth and justice was shocked and saddened. Those who belonged to this group were convinced that his death was not a natural one, but a premedita
apicture Cedric Prakash
07 Jul 2025
The strength of India is in her democracy; the unity of India is in her diversity; the heritage of India is in her hospitality, the breath of India is in her principle of Ahimsa/non-violence, and the
apicture Fr. L. Michael Collins
07 Jul 2025
Marking June 25 as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' is a calculated distortion of history, designed to vilify Indira Gandhi while deflecting from the ongoing, undeclared Emergency under Modi.
apicture G Ramachandram
07 Jul 2025
When a nation stops examining itself, it stops evolving. When a people stop questioning, they stop progressing. And when truth is replaced by lies, it takes only a few years for credibility to erode —
apicture Robert Clements
07 Jul 2025
The Emergency must be remembered, not as a tool to target a political party but as a lesson against authoritarian excess. Yet, we cannot ignore that worse violations of democratic norms and human righ
apicture A. J. Philip
30 Jun 2025
Fifty years later, India faces a chilling déjà vu with an 'undeclared' Emergency. Freedom of speech is stifled, dissent is suppressed, and institutions are compromised. True democracy demands resistan
apicture Cedric Prakash
30 Jun 2025
Amit Shah's claim that those who speak English will be ashamed evidences that the BJP-RSS is trying to bring down the populace and push India into another Vedic dark age where ignorance and superstiti
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
30 Jun 2025