India, so religiously and culturally diverse, is perceived to be a spiritual nation. Hindus and Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains coexist in one of the most religiously complex nations on earth. The Indian Constitution declares the country secular and gives equal treatment to all religions. But in practice, religion and politics do not quite divorce each other, fueling an old debate: Should religion occupy a place in Indian politics?
For the majority, it's easy. Religion plays a major role when it comes to shaping values, identity, and one's behavior. It's deeply rooted in human life. Under such circumstances, it's not realistic to anticipate politics to be completely religion-free. Religious values, according to many, can turn politicians into moral, equitable, and compassionate beings. Even politicians such as Mahatma Gandhi used spiritual values — ahimsa (non-violence) and truth — as political instruments to unite people peacefully.
But Indian politics today has taken a different turn. Religion is not a backdrop to moral leadership anymore. Instead, it has emerged as a powerful tool in vote-bank politics. Religious slogans and identity politics are employed by all political parties to garner support. Elections are more inclined towards religious pride, symbolism, or conflict than actual issues like unemployment, health, education, or economic disparities.
This is a risky trend. When religiously motivated political decisions are made, they leave minority groups isolated. Favoritism towards one religion dissolves secularism and promotes unequal representation. When governments appear to show favor toward one religion over others, it dissolves values of equality and belonging among all citizens, irrespective of religion.
Another problem is increasing communal polarization. Religion has the tendency to generate disputes, distrust, and even violence. India has experienced some unfortunate incidents where politics based on religion led to riots and hostility. It undermines national integration and deprives us of pressing developmental goals that belong to all alike.
Also, religion- or caste-based voting, in which citizens vote merely on the religion or caste with which they identify themselves, hinders intelligent meritocracy. It makes the leaders powerful based on identification, rather than ability or ideas. This is undemocratic in nature and leads to poor governance, which in turn has a meaningful and noticeable impact on national progress.
But the goal is not to remove religion from public life completely. In a very religious country like India, that is neither practical nor desirable. What truly needs to be shunned instead is the role of religion in policymaking. Politicians can believe personally, but the laws and the administration must be based on reason, justice, and constitutional norms.
India's strength lies in unity in diversity. To uphold that, political discourse must be based on development, rights, and justice and not religious divide. A secular state is not anti-religion; it is ensuring no one is discriminated on grounds of religion.
Religion may shape people's values, but politics must be in the public interest. Religion and state must remain separate in order to maintain India's democratic and secular foundation. Dignified with respect to each other but not conjoined, they must remain that way.
For the majority, it's easy. Religion plays a major role when it comes to shaping values, identity, and one's behavior. It's deeply rooted in human life. Under such circumstances, it's not realistic to anticipate politics to be completely religion-free. Religious values, according to many, can turn politicians into moral, equitable, and compassionate beings. Even politicians such as Mahatma Gandhi used spiritual values — ahimsa (non-violence) and truth — as political instruments to unite people peacefully.
But Indian politics today has taken a different turn. Religion is not a backdrop to moral leadership anymore. Instead, it has emerged as a powerful tool in vote-bank politics. Religious slogans and identity politics are employed by all political parties to garner support. Elections are more inclined towards religious pride, symbolism, or conflict than actual issues like unemployment, health, education, or economic disparities.
This is a risky trend. When religiously motivated political decisions are made, they leave minority groups isolated. Favoritism towards one religion dissolves secularism and promotes unequal representation. When governments appear to show favor toward one religion over others, it dissolves values of equality and belonging among all citizens, irrespective of religion.
Another problem is increasing communal polarization. Religion has the tendency to generate disputes, distrust, and even violence. India has experienced some unfortunate incidents where politics based on religion led to riots and hostility. It undermines national integration and deprives us of pressing developmental goals that belong to all alike.
Also, religion- or caste-based voting, in which citizens vote merely on the religion or caste with which they identify themselves, hinders intelligent meritocracy. It makes the leaders powerful based on identification, rather than ability or ideas. This is undemocratic in nature and leads to poor governance, which in turn has a meaningful and noticeable impact on national progress.
But the goal is not to remove religion from public life completely. In a very religious country like India, that is neither practical nor desirable. What truly needs to be shunned instead is the role of religion in policymaking. Politicians can believe personally, but the laws and the administration must be based on reason, justice, and constitutional norms.
India's strength lies in unity in diversity. To uphold that, political discourse must be based on development, rights, and justice and not religious divide. A secular state is not anti-religion; it is ensuring no one is discriminated on grounds of religion.
Religion may shape people's values, but politics must be in the public interest. Religion and state must remain separate in order to maintain India's democratic and secular foundation. Dignified with respect to each other but not conjoined, they must remain that way.