India: monk's speech in the Assembly fundamentally violated the Constitutional requirement to separate religion from politics - Letters to the Editor, Business Standard

Letters: Against secularism

Business Standard | New Delhi September 4, 2016

With reference to the editorial, "Don't undermine Constitution" (September 2), the decision of the Haryana Assembly to invite a Jain monk, Tarun Sagar, to deliver a lecture on its floor goes against the grain of India being a secular state.

I fully endorse the well-considered view of the editorial that the monk's speech in the Assembly fundamentally violated the Constitutional requirement to separate religion from politics. Such a move was unprecedented and might open the Pandora's box. Now other states might also host religious leaders in their Assemblies.

The monk's lopsided view on women cannot be endorsed. Why should politics be subservient to religion?

The M L Khattar-led state government must apologise to the country for this political misadventure in the Assembly.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have issued an advisory to all Bharatiya Janata Party-led states to desist from taking such short cuts to gain emotional popularity.

State Assemblies are meant to carry out official business in the true spirit of the Constitution. They should not be used as a platform to propagate the religious ideals of any community.
Kumar Gupt, Panchkula

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Don't undermine Constitution
Religious leaders should not be addressing legislatures

Business Standard Editorial Comment | New Delhi September 1, 2016 Last Updated at 21:41 IST

The Haryana Legislative Assembly's decision to invite a Jain monk named Tarun Sagar to deliver a lecture on the floor of the House has rightly attracted a great deal of criticism. Not all of it is helpful or progressive - there is no reason, for example, to focus on the fact that the monk in question belonged to the "Digambara" sect of Jains, which practices effective nudity. That is not what is infelicitous about the event. What is, is the fact that the monk's speech in the Assembly fundamentally violates the Constitutional requirement to separate religion from politics. ...

FULL TEXT AT: http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/don-t-undermine-constitution-116090101377_1.html