In defence of secularism, in a time of majoritarian triumphalism
I believe, secularism remains central to the constitutional “idea of India”. It is an ideal we must reclaim and restore for the sake of our society, for the sake of our democracy.
Yamini Aiyar
Last Updated 04 February 2024
It may seem like an open invitation, after the events of January 22, to the troll army, to charges of being anti-national, anti-Hindu, a pseudo-secularist, topped up, of course, with abuses and threats of all kinds, to consider offering a defence of secularism in India today. Mocking secularism is the dominant spirit of our political moment. In the formal theatre of political party competition, no political party is willing to come out in secularism’s defence, preferring to use words like pluralism, tolerance. Secularism has no takers. In civil society, those who defend it are “pseudo secularists” charged with pursuing “Western ideals” eschewing our deep civilisational one.
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