What Are the Major Threats to Secularism in India?

Secularism refers to a total separation of religion from the State. This concept developed in the west. Since religion plays an important role in the lives of the people of India, secularism in the Indian context emphasises equal treatment of all religions. The Constitution of India mandates that the State must be secular. A secular state must ensure that one religious community does not dominate another and that the State does not impose any particular religion, or take away the religious freedom of individuals. The Constitution guarantees Fundamental Rights that are based on secular principles. The national leaders who won us independence from the British were secular in their outlook, and preferred India to remain secular even after the partition of the subcontinent and the formation of Pakistan in the name of religion. For Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru, secularism was a matter of faith and conviction, rather than a mere policy for political expediency. However secularism in India faces some major threats in the form of communalism, casteism, preferential treatment, politics of exclusion, politicization of caste and untouchability. Aggressive cultural nationalism is undesirable because it is exclusive; it excludes those who do not belong. Such questions need to be addressed for the healthy co-existence of people in a pluralist society like India.