A new law is on anvil in India to delink religion from politics. The ruling Congress (I) plans to introduced it in the Indian parliament. The law provides for disqualification of candidates in the event of any one found seeking votes on religious grounds, The Indian constitution is sought to be amended through the 80th amendment bill for this purpose. The Congress needs the support of 355 members in the §33strong house of the parliament, the ruling party is trying to gather the support of Communists. The latter are ever obliging whether it is the question of enacting draconian laws or declaring a state of emergency in the country, the past record of the Communists clearly shows that they go along with the ruling party in curbing democracy in the country on one or the other excuse. Despite this, however, the combined Congress(I) Communist support to the law still require 42 more members” support to get the law through, The BJP is dead set against the move and has threatened to move the supreme court to thwart it.

It is necessary to analyze the background of the proposed law. The ruling party came up with the idea of delinking religion from politics on the day the opposition parties sponsored the aborted no confidence motion against Prime Minister Narasimha Rao early this month. Clearly the proposal was aimed at disrupting the unity of opposition parties on the question of corruption indulged in by Rao in the wake of the bank-cum-shares scam. The ruling party’s strategy was to win over the Communists to its side by projecting the new law as a savior of “secular values” in the Indian polity supposedly threatened by the BJP. Although the Communists could not be stopped from voting against the Rao government in league with the BJP, the ruling party is pursuing the idea to prevent consolidation of the Opposition groups in the context of the forthcoming elections to the four state assemblies formerly controlled by the BJP UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. More so when the congress(I) has managed a working majority in the Lok Sabha through horse trading and blatant bribery. It is obvious that the ruling party is trying to put on a secular mask more as ‘a strategy for political survival than as commitment to secularism. India’s ruling class which has been controlling the levers of the state for five decades is dominated by one small segment of the country’s society Brahmans. This segment has managed to form a grand political coalition with other upper caste groups. Although in overall minority, the Brahman led coalition calls the shots in Indian society and is acutely conscious of its caste origin. That is precisely why one finds Brahmans in all key posts in India. Secularism for the ruling class is a mere posture while the reality is that communal consolidation is the very creed and a strong commitment. This minority just cannot stay in power unless it manoeuvres its way through the rigmarole of secularism but in reality acting communal. The Congress (I) is the main Brahman party in India although the BJP, too, is Brahman dominated, The difference between the two is that while the former has been controlling the Indian stat¢ for all these decades, the latter is striving to get into power. Both these Brahman establishments are dead set against permitting any significant room for the country’s vast population of the deprived, the backward castes, the tribals in the power structure. Both are against implementing the recommendations of the Mandal Commission, The principal Brahman party is determined to stay in the power structure with or without democracy. Secularism is merely a play thing rather than an article of faith with the ruling establishment. Both the Brahman parties combined to bring down the Babri masjid in December 1992. Both the Brahman parties are still committed to retaining the Hindus control of the Bodhgya shrine. A law is still on India’s statute book which clearly recognizes and promotes Hindu district magistrates. Both these parties are ones that demolished the Sikhs’ Akal Takhat and are least regretful about the 1984 Operation Blue Star. Both these parties have never taken any meaningful action against the security forces indulging in mass murder of Sikhs, Muslims, Dalits and other minority groups.

It is thus absurd to expect the ruling establishment to become secular overnight. The bill delinking religion from politics is being aimed as a strategy rather than an article of faith for being even handed towards non upper castes. Its thrust initially will be against the BJP in the Hindi hear land. But eventually it will be directed against Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and other small minorities. The new law is in fact the other side of the coin of antiterrorist law which is directed against India’s minorities. Just as TADA is selectively being used against Sikhs, Muslims and other minorities, the delinking law will at first be tried against the BJP but will later be used against the minorities, Before long, this will have the dubious distinction of being called yet another black law. In fact, India’s reactionary establishment is just incapable of enacting any forward looking, modem law to promote the cause of democracy. If finally enacted, the 80th constitutional amendment will further curtail democracy in India and will strengthen the forces of dictatorship and “emergency” through other means.

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 27, 1993