L N T 30 SECULARISM AND THE COMMUNAL

CHALLENGE
Structure
30.0 Objectives
30.1 Introduction
30.2 Secularism: Meaning and Definition
30.3 The Indian Constitution and Secularism
t30.4 Communal Challengeto Secularism
30,4.1 The Character of the National Movement
30.4.2 Electoral Politics and the Decline of Democratic Institutions
30.4.3The Nature of Capitalist Development and character of the Indian
Ruling Class
30.5 The Anti-Modernist Challenge to Secularism
30.6 What is the Way Out?
30.7 Lets Us Sum Up
30.8 Key Words
30.9 Some Useful Books
30.10 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

30.0 OBJTECTIVES
Much of the recent political debate in India has been over the issue of
secularism, from passionate defence of a secular way of life and politics,
the arguments range all the way to a complete denouncement of secular
ideals and politics. In a sense this debate is today at the heart of Indian
politics. After going through this unit, you should be able to:
Understand the meaning and historical significance of secularism;
ldentify the challenges to secularism; and
Formulate a strategy to cope with these threats.

30.1 INTRODUCTION
Secularism, along with a commitment to the ideals of democracy, equality
and freedom were some of the fundamental principles that inspired a large
section of our people to fight against British colonialism. After independence,
these values were enshrined in the Constitution, thus enjoining the state to
uphold these principles. When we look at our society closely we notice
a steady devaluation of these ideals, challenged as they are by various social,
political and economic developments. For our heterogeneous society secularism
is undoubtedly the most cherished principle. However, it is this that is
being severely challenged by communal forces. The battle lines are clearly
drawn between those who stand for a democratic society and those for
whom democracy is dispensable. Secularism is a part of the commitment
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to democracy and hence worth defending and fighting for.
 Context of Indian State
30.2 SECULAVSM: MEANING AND DEFINITION
We will begin this unit by attempting to understand the meaning of secularism.
In the west, secularism was part of a whole range of new ideas and
institutions that marked the end of the feudal order and the emergence of
a sovereign modem nation-state with new forms of economic organisation.
Its clearly western, and more specifically Christian orign, need not however
limit its application to other cultures. Modem western secularism was the
consequence of the search for a way out of religious wars (often between
Christians of various persuasions) and the need to separate the domain of
the state from that of the Church. Secularism has become essential for
modem democratic nation-states to ensure a strong sense of identification
with the polity based on a common sense of identity, where being a citizen
takes precedence over all other identities like family, race, class and religion.

The word secularism was coined by George Jacob Holyoake in the middle
of the nineteenth century based on the Latin word seculum. Apart from
implying a separation of the Church from the state, it also suggests freedom
to the individual. The Enlightenment in Europe heralded a new era where
Reason rather than religion, became the guiding factor for all aspects of
human life. Secular concerns, it came to be argued, are of this world, and
religion which is concerned with the unknown world was to be kept away
from this. However, this did not necessarily imply a hostile relationship
between the two, only that both are exclusive. In sharp contrast with this
position is the one that sees religion and secularism as being hndamentally
opposed to one another, in the sense that the continued presence of religion
in a society indicates its backwardness, and that ultimately, human progress
and prosperity, and the creation of a truly egalitarian society is possible only
in the absence of religion. In India, secularism is popularly understood as
the best philosophy that would enable people belonging to diverse religious
backgrounds to live together in a harmonious manner, and create a state
that would accord the same degree of respect and freedom to all religions.
Check Your Progress Exercise 1
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answers.
--- ii) Check your answers with the model answers given at the end
of the unit.
1) Why is secularism essential for a modem nation-state?

2) Who coined the, term secularism and what does it generally imply?

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' 30.3 THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION AND SECULARISM Secularism a n d the
C o m m u n a l Challenge

The practice of secularism in India is often denounced on the grounds that,

a strict separation of the religious and non-religious practices is not possible.
However, instead of arguing for such an untenable position, it might be better
to define secularism as the separation of some religious and non-religious
institutions as Rajeev Bhargava does. In his discussion on Indian secularism
he argues that while an overall commitment to the principles of social-
democracy guided the Indian Constitution makers to the adoption of the
principles of secularism, the immediate context of deteriorating Hindu-Muslim
relations and the Partition were the major factors that influenced our adoption
of secular principles. Bhargava argues that to avoid a Bosnia-like inferno
in India, secular institutions are necessary, that is, they are necessary not
,. only to check religious fanaticism but also to ensure that conflicts between
religious communities that are not necessarily of a religious character, do
not cross a certain threshold to degenerate into the fi-ightening scenes seen
in parts of Europe today.

It was to avert such disasters that the Indian state steered clear of the
practice of creating separate electorates based on religion, of reserving
constituencies and jobs for religious communitie$ reserving jobs on the basis
of religion and organizing the states of the Indian Union on the basis of
religion. Thus religion comes to be excluded from state institutions in order
to inhibit communal conflict and prevent the repetition of a Partition-like
scenario.

With the same guiding principles in mind, religion was included as a guideline
in matters of cultural import. The most outstanding of these examples is of
course the granting of separate rights to minority religious communities to
enable them to live with dignity, it was recognised that insistence on an
absolutely uniform charter of rights was not desirable nor was it necessary
for national integration. Thus secularism was adopted in India not only to
promote intercodunal solidarity but also to protect the structure of ordinary
life in India. It is in this light that we should see the Indian state's attempts
to make polygamy or child marriage illegal or to grant entry rights for Dalits
b
to Hindu temples. Critics of Indian secularism often denounce the Indian
arrangement for intervention in Hinduism and some of its oppressive
social practices on the *grounds that such actions of the state go against
P
the norms of a truly secular state, or on the grounds that such intervention
in Hindu social practices must be matched with similar interventions in the
social practices of other communities. The protection of the rights of
socioreligious groups is also interpreted as a departure from true secular
practice which the critics argue ought to be grounded in individuals.

On the basis of the preceding discussion it would seem that secularism is

compatible with, and under certain circumstances would even dictate a
defence of differentiated citizenship and the rights of religious groups. Further
it is clear that secularity of the state does not require it to keep away
from policies of intervention, non-interference or equidistance from religious
groups as the case may be. In other words, a secular state may be described
as that state which keeps a principled distance fiom religion. Indian secularism
I was based on the idea that the state would maintain a principled distance Content Digitized by eGyanKosh, IGNOU

I
fiom religion but would address itself to matters rising out of religious
c o n t e x t o f I n d i a n State
concerns when the need arises. However, the cardinal rule would be that
the considerations for both keeping away and for interfering would always
be non-sectarian. The problem with the Indian state's practice of secularism
has been that-it has increasingly been acting out of sectarian interests.

At independence, India was a nation embarking on a new and challenging

' endeavour of building an economically independent democracy that would

treat all its citizens equally. As a part of this enterprise, India made a
commitment to secularism, which in the context of the two-nation theory
and the creation of Pakistan on the basis of religion, acquired even more
significance. The massage was that India would not construct its citizenship
and nationality on the basis of religious identity. To be an Indian was to
be committed to the ideals of the national movement and the democratic
vision of the Constitution makers.

Donald Eugene Smith in his classic study titled "India as a Secular State"
defines a secular state as "that which guarantees individual and corporate
fi-eedom of religion, deals with the individual as a citizen irrespective of his\her
religion, is not constituionally ~ 0 ~ e C t etodparticular religion, nor seeks either
to promote or interfere with religion." It is interesting to note that the term
"secular" did not originally feature in the Indian Constitution, although K.T.
Shah, a member of the Constituent Assembly tried on two occasions to
introduce the term. It was much later, as a part of the forty second
amendment in 1976, that the word secular was incorporated into the
Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

Despite the reluctace of the Constituent Assembly to incorporate the word

secular a survey of the provisions of the Constitution suggest the State would
be separate fiom religion and would guarantee religious fkedorns to citizens
of all faith, while not discriminating against any citizen on the h i s of religion.
Thus, the Indian Constitution guarantees both individual and collective fieedom
of religion through the Articles 25-28, in the chapter on Fundamental Rights.
Articlel5, in the same chapter provides that the stateshall not discriminate
against anyone on the basis of religion, caste, sex, race and place of birth.
Articlel6, guarantees that no Indian citizen would be discriminated against
in matters of public employment on the basis of religion.

Article 25, guarantees the fieedom of conscience and the right to freely
propagate, profess and practice any religion. You might be aware of the
recent incidents of violent attacks on religious missionaries that challenged
the very basis of this right. The unfortunate victims of this violence were
the minorities, especially the Christians. The implication seems to be that
Hinduism is the most authentic religion of the Indian nation, and the presence
of all other religions specially the ones of foreign origin threaten India's
nationhood. Such an argument is obviously against the very basic assumptions
of a secular state that the Constitution sought to establish in India.

Article 27 and 28, Eurther strengthen the individual fieedom of religion by

banning taxation for the purpose of supporting a particular religion and by
banning religious instruction in institutions recognised or aided by the state.
Content Digitized by eGyanKosh, IGNOUArticle 28, gives the fieedom to all religions to set up trusts and institutions
and acquire property and manage their own affairs.
Article 325 and 326, provide for the principle of non-discrimination among Secularism a l ~ dthe
Communal Challel~ge
citizens in the area of voting and representation on the basis of religion,
race or sex. India has no state religion, nor does it give any constitutional
recognition to the religion of the majority, besides which is ofcourse the
fact that the Government of India has no ecclesiastical department. All these
facts taken together demonstrate in ample measure that the Indian Constitution
followed very closely the Congress Party and its resolutio~of 1931 made
at its Karachi session "that the state shall observe neutrality in regard to
all religions". A survey of the Constitutional provisions suggest very clearly
the framework of a secular state (despite certain anomalies), however, the
politics, the nature and the functioning of the Indian state seem to suggest
a drift away from this framework. The consensus that Jawaharlal Nehru was
able to forge on this, and other principles like economic self-reliance,
egalitarianism and non-alignment (in the sphere of foreign policy) seems to
have broken down. What then has gone wrong with the Indian experiment
and why has this happened is the next question that we will look at.
Check Your Progress Exercise 2
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answers.
ii) Check your answers with the model answers ei-ien at the end
of the unit.
1) Discuss the provisions of the Article 25-28 and demol:srratc how they
ensure the secular character of' t!ii: l~:dian state.

2) Discuss the provisions of Articles 325 and 326.

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30.4 COMMUNAL CHALLENGES TO SECU.'LAIRIS:I?
- - -- - - .

It was expected that with the process of capitalist modenlisatio~ia rationallst

discourse would take over and religion would lose control olVcrpeople's
lives. In India however, the rapid advancement of capitalisin has been
accompanied by an intensification of communalism. This tragically has happened
despite the constitutional provisions for a secular framework and complet~
institutional backing of the secular forces. Following can be con side^.-d. :,.:
factors responsible for this.
30.4.1 The Character of the National Movement
To investigate this defeat of secularism in the face of organised comnu~::-l
challenges, one would have to examine a variety of factors. Sudipta Kavirzi
has suggested in many of his discussions of secularism that one of the graves1
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mistakes of the l n d i i bourgeoisie has been its complete neglect of building
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Context o f I n d i a n State
independence, the nationalist discourse realised the fragility of the new identity
based on secular nationhood as against the more familiar identities of caste
or religion. After independence however, this nationalist project of building
a secular nation lost its popular character and ideological zeal and became
merely the ideology of the state. The ruling class failed to realise that the
Indian nation was a hgile creation and required constant cultural and political
nourishment. Nationalist accounts of history that claimed for India's past a
'composite culture' were pressed into service, the implication was that it
was the evil designs of colonialism that disrupted this harmony.

In this rendering of history there is a complete denial of the fact that much
of the power of Indian nationalism itself came not from a secular idiom '
but from forces, idioms and symbols of religion, specially from ~ i n d u i s k .
We might also add here the fact that the Congress party conducted its
politics in the pre-independence period on the basis of the idea that India
was constituted of two distinct communities, the Hindus, and the Muslims.

Akeel Bilgrami has diagnosed the challenge to Indian secularism as a

consequence of its non-negotiated, Archimedean character. His argument is
that the national movement did not facilitate a creative dialogue between
communities which could have ensured the emergence of a negotiated
understanding of secularism. The Congress Party, for instance never undertook
such a discussion'seriously. Bilgrarni is of the opinion that, secularism must
transcend religious politics from within, and not at the outset itself have a
shimmering philosophical existence that is independent of religious and political
commitments. Such a negotiated secularism would have, for instance, avoided
the resentment towards the minorities because of the special status that they
have as a consequence of a non-negotiated secularism.

Not being negotiated, this secularism is becoming increasingly difficult to

defend. Hence, it is not really surprising to note that communalism is today
no longer an aberration that exists on the fringes of the Indian nation, but
as Rajni Kothari points out it has become a part of the political system.
It is not as if the state has fallen prey to communal forces, rather communalism
appears to be the direct outcome of the logic of the Indian state. ~ l t h o u ~ h
the Indian state made a formal acceptance of the secular agenda, the fact
is that apart from the differences between the Gandhians and the Nehruvians
in their understanding of secularism, there was a whole section of the political
class that was sceptical and even unwilling to accept thede secular ideals.
30.4.2 Electoral Politics and the Decline of Democratic Institutions
The unsure commitment to the ideals of secularism at the best of times
has meant an unprincipled exploitation of communal fears and sensibilities
by all major political parties, including the most important of them, the
Congress party. This cynical use of religion was perfected into an electoral
strategy in the 1980s leading to disastrous consequences. The Congress -
which had long abarldoned its popular movement character, now became
only a machine to win elections. The party's commitment to pluralism soon
degenerated into politics of vote banks where only the numerical strength
of the majority and the minority community mattered for electoral purposes.

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The sharpening of social and economic conflicts and the intensifying
nn7r;rnnmnntr~l rle-rldt;nn tho+ rnhherl the nrA;nonr n o n n l ~n f thoir l i 1 1 ~ 1 ; h n d c
 Secularism and the
made popular discontent a widespread reality. By the end of the 1970s Communal Challenge
it was becoming clear to the Congress that its earlier slogans of socialism
and secularism were fast losing their appeal among the traditional supporters
because these slogans remained just that, and had not brought about any
significant change in the lives of the poor and marginalised sections of the
society, many of whom were traditional Congress supporters. These sections
had gradually moved away from the Congress. The party in tum looked
for a new constituency and through the 1980s assiduously cultivated the
Hindu middle and lower classes that were feeling increasingly threatened by
the forces of the various backward caste and subaltern movements. The
latter have been gaining in strength and popularity given the fact that the
national development project has completely bypassed them. The Congress
party's adoption of an openly majoritarian politics was a complete reversal
of its historical role as the principle bourgeois adversary of communalism.
The Congress thus adopted a strategy of downplaying broader social issues
and decided to make a direct appeal to the majority community. The strategy
was to define the Indian nation increasingly in terms of the majority community
thus preparing the grounds for communal politics that took the form of cultural
nationalism.

Thus, instead of responding to popular discontent and demands, an attempt

b
was made to foist another set of issues by involving sentiments and feelings
that engender communal attitudes. Communal politics in general, and parties
like the Bharatiya Janata Party in particular, have benefited from the collapse
of the consensus that the Indian political elite had over secularism, economic
self-reliance and non-alignment.

Electoral compulsions made the Congress move away from a pluralistic

approach to a techno-bureaucratic-military approach where the state was to
be an instrument to crush any challenge from the bottom rather than act
' as a principal agent of change and transformation.

Apart from the increasing incidents of communal violence, the spread of

communal politics and violence to the hithert? unaffected rural areas is yet
another major threat to the secular fabric that the Indian state was trying
to weave together. These developments provided the ideal conditions for
various "Hindu cultural groups" like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and others
that claimed to be engaged in the reconstruction and consolidation of the
"Hindu" community to grow. They derive a lot of support from a section
of the Indian diaspora as well. These organisations were able to respond
to the peculiar fears of the middle class that wanted none of the traditional
structures of power and hierarchy challenged while at the same time desiring
all the bounties of the modem market place and economy.

This phase thus witnessed a complete discrediting of democratic politics and

of the party system and political institutions. The resultant void Rajni Kothari
suggests has been occupied by communal forces. This definitely is a major
challenge to the secular framework of the Indian state.
30.4.3 The Nature of Capitalist Development and Character of
the Indian Ruling Class
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The nature of ruling class politics itself according to Randhir Singh is the
 Context o f I n d i a n State
related phenomenon like religious revivalism etc. are, he argues, in direct
proportioh to the depth of the crisis in the Indian polity and the politics
of the ruling classes on the one hand, and in inverse proportion to the
presence and power of the left and class-based politics of the people, on
the other. Thus, he defines the communal challenge to secularism in India
as the ideology and practice of politics of the Indian ruling classes in a
society with a massive feudal-colonial inheritance, deep religious divisions
undergoing its own historically specific form of capitalist development.

The argument is that four decades of development have not altered'the

deeply uneven nature of Indian society; uneven capitalist development has
actually heightened the social tensions. Given the limited nature of oppo'rtunities
that are available, politics and ideology promoting narrow and exclusivist
interests direct this social tension against the minorities. It is indeed a fact
that conditions of life have worsened and alienation has increased, the
dissatisfaction that people feel over the increasing gulf between the rich and
the poor instead of being articulated through democratic struggles is being
channelised into a revivalist and gaudy religiosity that the media has also
supported in ample measures. We only have to look at the major television
channels that are competing with one another to host religious extravaganzas.
The 1980s witnessed a deliberate attempt to widen the mass base of religious
appeal, the large scale and almost comrnercialised celebrations of certain
select festivals is part of the larger strategy to create a more 'universal
Hinduism' by replacing the significance of local festivities and rituals.
Check Your Progress Exercise 3
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answers.
ii) Check your answers with the model answers given at the end
of the unit.
1) What is meant by the characterisation of Indian secularism as non-
negotiated or Archimedean?

2) Explain briefly the reasons for and the consequences of the Congress
Party's electoral strategy in the 1980s.

3) How does Randhir Singh define the communal challenge to secularism

in India?

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 Secularisrn\hnd t h e
30.5 .THE ANTI-MODERNIST CHALLENGE TO C o m m u n a l Challenge
SECULARISM
On the basis of the above discussion it is clear that the secular state, its
structures and secular politics itself are today severely challenged by the
growing forces of communalism that has its roots in various social, political,
historical, economic and e!ectoral factors. Intellectually also there is a growing
body of work, both in academic and journalistic literature that today openly
argues against the secular state and its institutions in India. Apart from
arguments that are of a purely sectarian nature and hence rhetorical, there
are intellectually sophisticated arguments that seek to contest the meaning
and purpose of a secular state and politics in India.

There also are observers who point out that the Western concept of
Secularism is not suitable to Indian society. It means the failure of that
secularism. Ashish Nandy for example argues that the ideology and politics
of secularism as understood in the western sense have more or less exhausted
their possibilities. The western uhderstanding of secularism, he suggests, is
essentially opposed to religion and believes that only universal categories can
manage the public realm. Religion, thus is perceived of as a threat to any
modern polity by virtue of not being universal. Nandy suggests that secularism
as an ideology has failed because it is seen today as being a part of a
larger package that consists of a set of standardised ideological products
and social processes like development, mega science and national security.
Being backed by the might of the state they appear essentially as violent
ideas, because to defend any of these ideas including secularism, the state
can justifiably use violence. Nandy is critical of the fact that while the modern
nation-state appeals to the believers to keep their private faiths out of public
life it is unable to ensure that the ideologies of secularism, development and
nationalism do not themselves begin to act as faiths intolerant of others. The
role of the state in such situations is likened by Nandy to that of crusading
and inquisitorial role of religious ideologies.

Besides, the proposition that the values derived fiom the secular ideology
of a secular state would somehow be a better guide to political action and
to a less violent and richer political life than values and politics based on
religious principles. Nandy contends that objectification, scientisation, and
bureaucratic-rationality, the core principles of a modern nation-state can only
breed violence. The elite in such states view statecraft in purely secular and
amoral terms thus thinking of religion or ethnicity as hurdles to the grand
project of nation-building and state formation. Thus Nandy argues, western
concept of secularism becomes a handy adjunct to a set of legitimating core
concepts; accepting this ideology, he contend, leads to the justification and
acceptance of domination and violence perpetrated in the name of progress
and modernity. It also generates hatred and violence among the believers
3t having to face a world that is fast moving out of their grip.
\

This type of secularism has been imposed on a people who never wished
o separate religion from politics, this imposition had to be made as part
3f the requirements needed to fulfil the creation of a modem nation-state,
this however has left the ordinary people of India very unhappy, who, left
with no choice, in their fight against the brutalities of the nation inathe name Content Digitized by eGyanKosh, IGNOU
of modernitv. turn to the onlv form of religjous mlitics that modernitv would
 ('ontext of Indian Statc
permit, namely communal politics. Thus, it is secularism as practiced that
breeds communalism. Intolerance links the two, replacing the quality of
tolerance that characterised the traditional world organised on the basis of
religion

30.6 WHAT ES THE WAY OUT?

A discussion of this nature would be incomplete without a look at how
to cope with the communal challenges to secularism: The struggle against
communalism has to be a struggle against more than communalism, it has
to be part of a larger struggle for a more participatory and egalitarian model
of society. It would necessarily have to join hands with dl movements that
seek to question injustice, hierarchy and oppression. Thus the feminist
movement, the Dalit movement and other movements of the depressed and
marginalised sections of our society would have to come together to provide
a secular response to the communal challenge.

Manoranjan Mohanty has argued that secularism can be meaningfd only when
it becomes a part of the overall process of democratic transformation. What
we have witnessed till now in India is secularism imposed through a state
that has become in~reasinglyauthoritarian. On the contrary secularism has
to become a part af a wider struggle against socio-political domination.

A very important aspect of this struggle should be a carehl re-examination

of our cultural traditions, and an active engagement with questions of tradition
and culture, for there is no doubt that culture is a very important axis around
which a great deal lof communal mobilisation is taking place today. Thus
secularism has to become part of the struggle of the ordinary people of
India for their right to a life that is dignified and politically, economically
and culturally free.
Check Your Progress Exercise 4
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answers.
ii) Check y o u answers with the model answers given at the end
of the unit.

1) To what does Ashish Nandy attribute the failure of Secularism in India?

2) Discuss briefly the strategy to fight against the communal challenges

threatening our country today.

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 Secularism and t l ~ c
30.7 LET US SUMUP Communal Challenge

Indian secularism was based on the idea that the state would maintain a
principled distance from religion but would address itself to matters rising
out of religious concerns when the need arises. However, the cardinal rule
would be that the considerations for both keeping away and for interfering
would always be non-sectarian. The problem with the Indian state's practice
of secularism has been that it has increasingly been acting out of sectarian
interests. A survey of the Constitutional provisions suggest very clearly the
fiamework of a secular state (despite certain anomalies), however, the politics,
the nature and the functioning of the Indian state seem to suggest a drift
1 away from this framework. The discrediting of democratic politics, the party
system and political institutions has created a void that has been occupied
by communal forces. This definitely is a major challenge to the secular
fiamework of the Indian state. In order to fight this challenge, the struggle
for secularism has to become part of the struggle of the ordinary people
of India for their right to a life that is dignified and politically, economically
and culturally free.

30.8 KEY WORDS

Archimedean Secularism: Indian secularism is not strong enough to cope
with communal challenges because of its Archimedean or non-negotiated
character, it is not the result of debates and dialogues between different
communities.

30.9 SOME USEFUL BOOKS

Bhargava Rajeev, (ed.), Secularism and its Critics, Oxford University Press,
New Delhi, 1998.

30.10 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

EXERCISES
Check Your Progress Exercises 1
Your answer should cover the following points:
1) It is essential to create a strong sense of identification with the polity.
2) George Jacob Holyoake, and it means a :
separation of religion from the state.
freedom to the individual to live a life wherein reason and.not religion
is the guiding factor.
in the Indian context people generally accept it to mean a philosophy
that can enable a multi-religious society like ours to exist harmoniously.
Check Your Progress Exercise 2
Your answer should cover the following points:
1) A discussion of the provisions of the Articles and a reference to the
recent controversy over these rights.
2) A discussion of the provisions of the Articles, both the answers should Content Digitized by eGyanKosh, IGNOU

discuss the need for havine such rights in a secular ~olitv.

 Context of Indian State Check Your ~ r o ~ r e Exercise
ss 3 -
Your answer should cover the following points:
1) Indian secularism is not strong enough to cope with communal challenges
because of its Archirnedean or non-negotiated character, it is not the result
of debates and dialogues between different communities.
2) By the end of the 1970s decade it was becorning clear to the Congress
. that its earlier slogans of socialism and secularisrn were fast losing their
appeal among the traditional supporters because these slogans remained
just that and had not brought about any significant change in the lives
of the poor and marginalised sections of the society, many of whom were
traditional Congress supporters. These sections gradually moved away firm
the Congress. The party in turn looked for a new constituency and,
through the 1980s assiduously cultivated the Hindu middle and lower
classes that were feeling increasingly threatened by the force of the various
backward caste and subaltern movements thus preparing the grounds for
communal politics that took the form of cultural nationalism.
3) He defines the communal challenge to secularism in India as the ideology
and practice of politics of the Indian ruling classes in a society with a
massive feudal-colonial inheritance,deep religious divisions undergoing its
own, historically specific form of capitalist development.
Check Your Progress Exercise 4
Y o u answer should cover the following points:
1) It has failed because it is seen today as being a part of a larger package
that consists of a set of standardised ideological products and social
processes like development, mega science and national security. Being
backed by the might of the state it has violence written into it.
2) Y o u answer should cover the following points:
The struggle for secularism Has to become part of the struggle of the
ordinary people'of India for their right to a life that is dignified and
politically, economically and culturally eee.
Engagement with cultural questions are also an important part of this
struggle.

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