Secularism: A destructive hype

Secularism: A destructive hype

Secularism has lost all its valued meaning in the present election. In fact, it has become a slogan for all wrong reasons. Secularity is being used for non-secular reasons, to polarize and create insecurity amongst communities, which otherwise would prefer to live a harmonious life. There is difference in the way secularism was viewed by our forefathers in India and other ideologues in the west. Our predecessors meant to give equal treatment and opportunity to all religions, and never manifested intention to san religious penchant of individual. Whereas, the western concept of secularism meant State above religion, with no matter what, State keeping at bay from religious demands for independent recognition. We have looked at State from inclusive angle but without actual integration, whereas secularism would have been meaningful as an integrated lot than sectionalized independent inclusion. The political parties have destructively reaped this politically favorable ideology, sowed in the past, which has gained new heights in this electoral clash.

Perhaps, this liberal idea of secularism has served more purpose to its exploiters than servers. Political parties, calling themselves secular or branded bigotry, all have served the same purpose of creating rift in the communities for electoral gains. They fight tooth and nail, either to woo or antagonize, with implicit and explicit intention to spread hatred and confusion amongst communities. So-called secular forces have done more harm to the national security, economic interest and social fabric. Their energy has for decades remained and channeled for sustaining rift and widening trust deficit between communities.  ‘Appeasement’ a term getting more vulgar day by day, is a tool to fan the belief of separatism. Unfortunately, ‘appeasement’ is not with the intention to mainstream, but rather to seal their fate as outsider, marginalized. Polarization, term which has found popularity beyond limits in the foregoing electoral rhetoric, has literally felt pinching strong this season.

Minorities have been forced to believe that they are different citizens of this country and they gain to stand aloof. Majority community is compelled to accept that fragmentation of Indian society is truth, irrespective of their humble intention to bridge out the gap, and their choice to lead a normal nationalist life is practical joke. The attempt of most of the political parties is to spread that the concept of ‘we’ as Indians is illogical and, instead ‘we’ from a particular community is a reality. Secularism in current usage means talking about divide and divisions, and not integration.

I do not stand here to evaluate and comment on the merits of the claims of either parties or any hyped model of inclusive growth and development or high pitched shameful slugfest between parties or rhetorical appeasement policies and following kiddish backlash. However, it pains to see the stalwarts, in the name of ‘secularism’, putting at ransom the national interest, ploys hatched for short term gains threatening and jeopardizing secular interests, short sightedness exposing communities to be manipulated and eventually playing into the hands of subversive forces. Destructive politics in the name of constructivism is possible just because majority of us, voters, are gullible enough to believe the full throttle vows of our political benefactors, and fail to read between lines because of un-empowerment to analyze in right perspective; for perspective we hold is what has been created by these benefactors through rigorous persistent efforts. ‘Divide and Rule’, a colonial strategic plan and action finds relevance in this distorted application of ‘Secularism’.