Pseudo-secularism
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In the Indian context, the term pseudo-secularism is used to pejoratively describe policies considered to involve minority appeasement.[1] The Hindus form the majority religious community in India; the term "pseudo-secular" implies that those who claim to be secular are actually not so, but are anti-Hindu or pro-minority.[2] The Hindu nationalist politicians accused of being "communal" use it as a counter-accusation against their critics.[3]
Background
The first recorded use of the term "pseudo-secularism" was in the book Philosophy and Action of the R.S.S. for the Hind Swaraj, by Anthony Elenjimittam. In his book Elenjimittam accused leaders of the Indian National Congress of pretending to uphold secularism.[4]
After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was accused of representing the Hindu communalism in Indian politics it started using the counter-charge of "pseudo-secularism" against the Congress and other parties.[5] The BJP leader LK Advani characterises pseudo-secular politicians as those for whom "secularism is only a euphemism for vote-bank politics". According to him, these politicians are not concerned with the welfare of the minorities, but only interested in their vote.[6]
Elst suggests Lokayata (in the sense of worldliness) as a better Hindi word for modern secularism.[7]
Alleged examples
The state policies of independent India accorded special rights to Muslims in matters of personal law. For example, in the Shah Bano case, a Muslim woman was denied alimony even after winning a court case, because the Indian Parliament reversed the court judgement under pressure of Islamic orthodoxy. This is often presented as proof of the Congress's practice of pseudo-secularism by many Indians.[8][9] Other special laws for Muslims, such as those allowing triple talaq and polygamy, are also considered as pseudo-secular.[10]
The religion-based reservations in civil and educational institutions are also seen as evidence of pseudo-secularism.[9]
The BJP has also been criticised as to playing along with pseudo-secular parties by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for compromising on issues like Article 370, Ram temple and Uniform civil code of India.[11]
Sources
One [book on Indian secularism] which inclines towards the Hindu viewpoint is M.M. Sankhdher: Secularism in India. Dilemmas and Challenges.(Elst 2001, Decolonizing the Hindu Mind, p. 31)
References
- ↑ John Anderson (2006). Religion, Democracy And Democratization [archive]. Routledge. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-415-35537-7. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Mani Shankar Aiyar (1 May 2006). Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist [archive]. Penguin Books India. pp. 25–. ISBN 978-0-14-306205-9.
- ↑ Deepa S. Reddy, ed. (2006). Religious Identity and Political Destiny: Hindutva in the Culture of Ethnicism [archive]. Rowman Altamira. pp. 171–173. ISBN 978-0-7591-0686-4. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Elenjimittam, Anthony (1951). Philosophy and Action of the R. S. S. for the Hind Swaraj. Laxmi Publications. pp. 188–189.
- ↑ Deepa S. Reddy (2006). Religious Identity and Political Destiny: Hindutva in the Culture of Ethnicism [archive]. Rowman Altamira. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-7591-0686-4.
- ↑ Mary Ann Tétreault; Robert Allen Denemark (2004). Gods, Guns, and Globalization: Religious Radicalism and International Political Economy [archive]. Lynne Rienner Publishers. pp. 115–. ISBN 978-1-58826-253-0.
- ↑ M.R. Paranjape, Altered Destinations Self, Society, and Nation in India, by Makarand R. Paranjape
- ↑ Rafiq Dossani; Henry S. Rowen (2005). Prospects for Peace in South Asia [archive]. Stanford University Press. pp. 195–. ISBN 978-0-8047-5085-1.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Shabnum Tejani (2008). Indian secularism: a social and intellectual history, 1890-1950 [archive]. Indiana University Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-253-22044-8. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Kanaiyalalu Manghandasu Talreja (1996). Pseudo Secularism in India [archive]. Rashtriya Chetana Prakashan. p. 46.
- ↑ M. G. Chitkara (2003). Hindutva Parivar [archive]. APH Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 978-81-7648-461-9.
- Arun Shourie.A Secular Agenda: For Saving Our Country, for Welding it (1993, ISBN 9788190019934),
- Sita Ram Goel Perversion of India's Political Parlance (1984) ISBN 81-85990-25-5
- Sita Ram Goel Genesis and Growth of Nehruism (1993) (With a foreword by Philip Spratt, founder of the CPI) [1] [archive]
- The Problem with Secularism (Voice of India 2007) contents [archive]
- K.Y. Nariman Whither Congress
- Dr. N.S. Rajaram. Secularism: The New Mask of Fundamentalism
- Dr. N.S. Rajaram. Nationalism and Distortions in Indian History
- Europe, India, and the Limits of Secularism by Jakob de Roover [2] [archive]
- Andrew, C. M., & Mitrokhin, V. (2005). The Mitrokhin archive II: The KGB and the world. London: Allen Lane.
See also
Further reading
- "Indian Controversies: Essays on Religion in Politics" by Arun Shourie, Publishers: Rupa & Co, Language: English
- Hasan Suroor (30 April 2014) Sins in the name of secularism - The Hindu [archive]
- Dr S.K. Srivastava (16 Dec 2014) Skewed secularism? - IBN Live [archive]
- http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/india/the-10-shades-of-indian-pseudo-secularism/ [archive]
- https://dharmadispatch.in/narendra-modi-bombs-secularism-into-the-dustbin-of-contemporary-history/ [archive]
- http://indiafacts.org/the-origins-of-cultural-marxism-a-concise-account/ [archive]
- http://indiafacts.org/book-summary-europe-india-and-the-limits-of-secularism-by-jakob-de-roover-i/ [archive]
- https://swarajyamag.com/blogs/hinduism-is-convenient-hindus-are-expendable-a-look-at-why-secularism-failed-us [archive]
https://www.dharmadispatch.in/culture/the-myth-of-composite-culture-is-nothing-but-pro-pakistan-propaganda [archive]