How and why is religion being politicised in India?

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India is known to be “the land of spirituality and philosophy”  as well as the birthplace of many religions still prominent today (Daniel). With only 0.1% of the population not having a religion stated, faith and belief play a significant role in the lifestyle of Indian citizens. Having said this, the politicisation of religious identity in India becomes inevitable, particularly with Hinduism since it is statistically the most popular religion (Census of India). The appeal of religion in politics has resulted from the effects of secularism and the processes of modernisation, especially after the rise of Hindu nationalism. Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, is currently leading through a religious party, which has had multiple effects on India’s society. Not only have these situations resulted in the presence of religion in politics, but made it the topic that is most prone to politicisation. A potential solution might be to abolish the entire concept of religion itself so that there is no chance of merging the two.  

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As democratic structures slowly deteriorated after the “decline of the Indian National Congress in the late 1980s” , this resulted in the rise of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (Bose). The departure of Britain in 1947 left India devastated; almost 2 million people were killed in riots and “14 million people were driven from their homes” (The Conversation). As a reaction, Hindu nationalism grew in order to form an Indian identity which opposed British colonists and the Islamic succession that followed it. Various movements sought to mobilise Hindus by displaying specific notions of what it means to be Hindu. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a pro-independence activist and politician, advocated this by publishing his text ‘Hindutva: Who is a Hindu’ in 1923, which translated his ideas of the true definition of Hindu unity and it’s potential (Chandra). The disorganisation of India’s society meant that the solutions would have to apply to all Indians, which is where BJP’s commitment to Hindutva succeeded at this. The “cultural nationalism that favoured Indian heritage over westernisation” tapped into and exploited the feelings of threat that were present in the public, creating what was hoped to be a united nation (Shackle). The politicisation of Hindutva is undeniable as an entire political party preaches its dedication to the religion, and uses its beliefs as part of their propaganda. Although there are many reasons behind this politicisation, it is clear that the requirement to reform democratic structures under heavy pressure was a catalyst.

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With more than two-thirds of the country being Hindu, it became a simple political strategy to gain power. Current prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, is the epitome of religiously influenced politics in India as he is said to exploit religious tensions to obtain ascendance. As he preaches the ideologies of Hindutva, the rest of India’s religions become a foreign concept, causing uproar and conflict amongst its people. A key example of this is the recent implementation of a ban on slaughtering cows because it is “against the idea of India” (Newsweek). Since cows are a holy animal in the Hindu religion, refraining from eating beef is highly recommended. The issue with this is that Modi is favouring one faith over another in a constitutionally secular country. Life imprisonment is the official consequence by law, however, this clearly isn’t the case. In 2015, a Muslim man was lynched because he was suspected of feeding beef to his family. Earlier this year, another Muslim man was attacked by a vigilante mob whilst transporting cows, and no arrests have been made despite this transgression (Ross). Not only has Modi’s rule created a hierarchical complex of religions in India, but it has caused disputation amongst its society, all as a result of the politicisation of Hindutva.

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Thus, secularism becomes a component that influences the politicisation of religion. Secularism is one of the attempted treatments of the politicisation of religion to strive to achieve religious accommodation; the 42nd amendment of the constitution of India states that all religions should be treated equally by state (“The Constitution (Amendment)”). Many have questioned the effectiveness of this mechanism as the magnitude of spiritual conflicts increases. This substantial dilemma has been a continuous debate, providing an interesting explanation towards the politicisation of religious identity. The institutional practice of secularism resulted in religion being a category in which political parties could exploit for strategic interests. The issue begins with the lack of clarification on the definition of secularism. It is generally understood to be the “principle of separation” of religion from the state; however, it is unclear as to what this warrants (“Secularism and Secularity”). Whether it’s being the state giving no support to any religion whatsoever, or that it should support all religions to the same extent, India has chosen to intervene more as they encourage religions to adjust within themselves for the prevention of potential conflict (Bhargava). Critics explain the potential issue lying underneath this course of action; one advocates “a policy of non-interference over the Indian practice of equal intervention” as the government’s involvement could create a more significant issue in itself (Van Den Berghe). This critique concludes that the practices of secularism involve religion in the state unnecessarily instead of the desired opposite, therefore making it partly responsible for the increase in religious politicisation in India.

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Additionally, modernisation (a large-scale process of secularism) could be argued as the reason behind the politicisation of religion. As India slowly develops into a more modern society, some believe that the ageing population feel as though they have to neglect traditional concepts of a good life as there is “no compromise between the old and new”. An Indian political psychologist stated that they “have now come to sense that it is modernity which rules the world and that religion-as faith is being pushed to the corner” (Nandy). Believers then develop a sense of defeat, causing a ripple effect. The basis of Nandy’s argument is that after the secularisation on Indian society, it has alienated a large part of the population, breeding a mindset of aggression. Secularism in this sense is characterised as forcing to rid of tradition to attempt to conceptualise the country, ultimately as an attempt to create a sense of unity. With this, however, is the now inflated intolerance as the established attitude towards the state and other religions, which is then relayed into the forceful politicisation of religion. As religion slowly becomes devalued in everyday life, some have reacted by following religious organisations or political parties. Modernisation has influenced the politicisation of religion, making Hinduism more relevant to capitalist novelty while still reaching out to the older generation. The only way to attract an audience of all ages in a time of cultural change was to use an already established and trusted base: religion. In India’s case, Hindutva was that tool.

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In conclusion, it is clear that with the modernisation of India accompanied by the viability of secularism, religion has become excessively politicised. Hinduism has particularly been the major victim in this process with India’s leading party being a Hindu nationalist party. From feeding on the vulnerability of the country after the end of the British Raj to the unavoidable effects of modernisation on India’s culture, the answer as to how it has become this way is beyond one single event. Since religion has been ingrained in India’s society, religious movements have become a political reality. Overall, it will always be difficult to differentiate between politics and religion as they both are integral aspects of the life most of us lead today. Although the politicisation of religion may result in questionably unethical situations, it’s the inevitable reality of today’s world, to which the only solution may be to completely eradicate religion itself. Without the complications and immoral exploitation of the population through religion, politics would finally take a step towards real transparency.