Political Secularism in India
With the BJP securing a third consecutive term in power in 2024, India is no longer debating secularism—it is witnessing its metamorphosis into majoritarian rule. To some, this is a long-overdue reckoning that corrects decades of minority appeasement. To others, it is the death of the republic’s fou...
Збережено в:
| Автор: | |
|---|---|
| Формат: | Online |
| Мова: | Англійська |
| Опубліковано: |
FAU University Press
2026
|
| Предмети: | |
| Онлайн доступ: | ONIX_20260106T140303_9783961478439_73 |
| Теги: |
Немає тегів, Будьте першим, хто поставить тег для цього запису!
|
| _version_ | 1869514169698484224 |
|---|---|
| author | Chakraborty, Lahari |
| author_browse | Chakraborty, Lahari |
| author_facet | Chakraborty, Lahari |
| author_sort | Chakraborty, Lahari |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | With the BJP securing a third consecutive term in power in 2024, India is no longer debating secularism—it is witnessing its metamorphosis into majoritarian rule. To some, this is a long-overdue reckoning that corrects decades of minority appeasement. To others, it is the death of the republic’s founding ideals. But what if both are wrong? But what if both are distractions from the larger truth? Secularism in India was never pure—it was always political. The collapse of secularism is not the doing of the last decade—it has been unraveling for 77 years. Since Independence, successive governments have distorted, exploited, and selectively applied secularism to serve their own political survival. It was never about true neutrality; it was about control. The judiciary, once the strongest safeguard of secular values, has become an inconsistent force—at times upholding secularism, at other times legitimizing its erosion. Secularism remains a constitutional principle, but in practice, it has been reinterpreted, redefined, and weakened to the point where it no longer functions as a safeguard against religious majoritarianism. The real crisis lies in its indecipherability. Framed as neutrality but often practiced as negotiation, secularism has meant different things at different times—to the state, the courts, and the people. Its contradictions have allowed it to survive, but they have also made it vulnerable. If secularism is to survive, it must be reimagined—not as passive neutrality, but as Diversity-Embracing Secularism, an active force that refuses to bow to political expediency. The fight is not between parties but between two visions of India—one that embraces diversity and one that seeks to erase it. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-170813 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | FAU University Press |
| publisherStr | FAU University Press |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-1708132026-01-07T05:27:38Z Political Secularism in India Chakraborty, Lahari Diversity Religion Diversity-Embracing-Secularism Politics India Indian Legislature Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Indian Judiciary thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JP Politics and government::JPH Political structure and processes With the BJP securing a third consecutive term in power in 2024, India is no longer debating secularism—it is witnessing its metamorphosis into majoritarian rule. To some, this is a long-overdue reckoning that corrects decades of minority appeasement. To others, it is the death of the republic’s founding ideals. But what if both are wrong? But what if both are distractions from the larger truth? Secularism in India was never pure—it was always political. The collapse of secularism is not the doing of the last decade—it has been unraveling for 77 years. Since Independence, successive governments have distorted, exploited, and selectively applied secularism to serve their own political survival. It was never about true neutrality; it was about control. The judiciary, once the strongest safeguard of secular values, has become an inconsistent force—at times upholding secularism, at other times legitimizing its erosion. Secularism remains a constitutional principle, but in practice, it has been reinterpreted, redefined, and weakened to the point where it no longer functions as a safeguard against religious majoritarianism. The real crisis lies in its indecipherability. Framed as neutrality but often practiced as negotiation, secularism has meant different things at different times—to the state, the courts, and the people. Its contradictions have allowed it to survive, but they have also made it vulnerable. If secularism is to survive, it must be reimagined—not as passive neutrality, but as Diversity-Embracing Secularism, an active force that refuses to bow to political expediency. The fight is not between parties but between two visions of India—one that embraces diversity and one that seeks to erase it. 2026-01-07T05:27:37Z 2026-01-07T05:27:37Z 2026-01-06T13:14:48Z 2025 book ONIX_20260106T140303_9783961478439_73 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/109646 9783961478439 9783961478422 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/170813 eng FAU Studien aus der Philosophischen Fakultät open access image/jpeg Attribution 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/109646/1/9783961478439.pdf FAU University Press 10.25593/978-3-96147-843-9 10.25593/978-3-96147-843-9 2c600dea-eece-4066-87be-da335e323fdb 9783961478439 9783961478422 AG Universitätsverlage 318 Erlangen open access |
| spellingShingle | Diversity Religion Diversity-Embracing-Secularism Politics India Indian Legislature Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Indian Judiciary thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JP Politics and government::JPH Political structure and processes Chakraborty, Lahari Political Secularism in India |
| title | Political Secularism in India |
| title_full | Political Secularism in India |
| title_fullStr | Political Secularism in India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Political Secularism in India |
| title_short | Political Secularism in India |
| title_sort | political secularism in india |
| topic | Diversity Religion Diversity-Embracing-Secularism Politics India Indian Legislature Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Indian Judiciary thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JP Politics and government::JPH Political structure and processes |
| topic_facet | Diversity Religion Diversity-Embracing-Secularism Politics India Indian Legislature Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Indian Judiciary thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JP Politics and government::JPH Political structure and processes |
| url | ONIX_20260106T140303_9783961478439_73 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chakrabortylahari politicalsecularisminindia |