Indian Secularism: Adjective or Necessity?

Abstract

‘Secularism’ can be understood as a concept of separating religion from governance. In India’s constitutional history, this idea was advocated by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, but it was not included in the final draft of the Indian Constitution. It was later added in the Preamble by Indira Gandhi, which separated religion from government; and was made the central idea for the functioning of the State. However, with the emergence of right-wing governments of late, the fate of ‘secularism’ as a key part of the Indian constitution has been challenged. The tale of India and Secularism is probably the most debated topic throughout the social and political history of independent India. With the nature of ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and religious differences in a country as diverse as India, it could be argued that it was important for the State to be neutral and promote equality and brotherhood.

In this edition of the Conversations in Development Studies we have tried to understand the different schools of thought on the concept of ‘Secularism’; and explored the concept from perspectives of colonial history, jurisprudence, gender, social justice, economics, and development. Had the nation chosen a theocratic status, would it have been the Sword of Damocles? Would we have witnessed stagnation in social development, class diversification, gender equality, etc.?

Keywords: Secularism, Gender, Economics, Development, Equality