HVK Archives: Secularism - a letter
Secularism - a letter - Hindutan Times
Bharat J. Gajjar
()
21 June 1996
Title : Secularism - a letter
Author : Bharat J. Gajjar
Publication : Hindutan Times
Date : June 21, 1996
Sir, Webster's Dictionery defines secularism as
"indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion
and religious considerations." In Western or American
terms, it means separation of the state and the church.
That means the Government will keep itself out of the
affairs of its subjects' religions.
Let us see how the Congress has implemented secularism in
the last 50 years. To that party it means the Government
of India will treat non-Hindu monorities like the `little
brother' in a family who should not only be protected,
but given more than the majority. Whose ideas was that?
It was Mahatma Gandhi, who told Pandit Nehru about it and
the Congress. This policy continued. The Hindu, in the
beginning, thought it was all right, as their beloved
leader had requested them to do so, but in the last 50
years the Congress kept going in that direction more and
more and that helped it to secure its re-election and get
the Muslim votes. Here are some examples. Hindus were
numb when they heard that the Government sponsored and
subsidised the Haj pilgrimage of 25,000 Muslims and the
then Prime Minister, Mr. P. V. Narsimha Rao increased the
number to 50,000. He also decided to pay imams and
mullahs from Government (tax-payers) money. The list is
very long. The Hindus called this Congress policy pseudo
secularism, a Muslim appeasement policy to win votes.
Mr. Narasimha Rao says secularism is in the Indian
Constitution and the demand for a uniform civil code is
illegal. The Indian Constitution clearly declares that a
uniform civil code applies to all citizens of India. The
Indian Muslims of the U. S. accept a uniform civil code,
but they want a separate civil code for the Muslims of
India.
Nowhere does the Constitution say that India is "secular"
religious minorities. "The Constitution describes India
as a "Sovereign Democratic Republic" which secures to
"all its citizens" or "persons" certain fundamental
rights. The Constitution prohibits the State from
discriminating against any "citizen" on grounds of
"religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth." nor does it
subject "citizen" to any disability on any of these
grounds. It is not wrong to follow secularism, but it is
wrong to follow Congress-style secularism. It should be
practised as it is defined in the English language.
To keep all parties out of politics, the Congress started
the myth that it was the only secular party fit to govern
India.
The Western countries need a secular Government as
Christians in the past persecuted the minorities, but the
Hindus have always respected all religions and history
proves it. A Hindu cannot be non-secular. The BJP is as
secular as the Hindu majority.
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