SubscriberWrites: Are religion and government merging?

To rule out any ambiguity, PM Modi himself confirmed that he is representing the Indian govt when he said God chose him to represent the people of India in doing Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha.

An aerial view of the new Parliament building in New Delhi | ANI file photo

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It is very difficult and also not desirable for the government to totally stay away from religion as the government has responsibility for enacting and enforcing the rules of the society, and the society consists of people with different or no religious beliefs. At the same time it is very important in a secular democracy for the government to maintain a healthy distance from religion, limiting its role to just governance.

Government has been embracing one religion more and more over the past few years.  The Prime Minister leading the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir erased the thin line between religion and government.  It is for the experts and courts to say if the government’s behavior is unconstitutional but here is how I look at it from a layman’s perspective. 

Secularism and Indian Constitution

Key provisions of the constitution related to secularism:

1. Preamble – “WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC….”[1]
2. Article-15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.[2]
3. Articles 25 and 26 grant freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion, and to manage religious affairs.[3]
4. Article-27 prohibits government from compelling citizens to pay taxes the proceeds of which will be used for promotion or maintenance of any particular religion.[3]
5. Article-28 prohibits government funds from being used for imparting any religious instruction.[3]

In S. R. Bommai vs. Union of India judgment, Supreme Court held that Secularism is one of the basic features of the constitution.[4]

These provisions and the Super Court opinion unambiguously define India’s secular character and provide guidelines or mandates for the government to treat all religions equally and give no preferential treatment to one religion.

Involvement of Government in Ram Mandir Inauguration

The highlight of the involvement of the government is Prime Minister Modi performing the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony[5].  The biggest argument we hear from people supporting this is, he has freedom to practice his religion.  That is absolutely correct, the constitution gives freedom to profess and practice religion of choice. He, in his INDIVIDUAL capacity, can certainly practice. It is his private matter. But given the responsible position he is in, public appearances, especially with such a high profile, are treated as being in his capacity as PM.  To rule out any ambiguity, he himself confirmed that he is representing India(government) when he said God chose him to represent the people of India in doing Pran Pratishtha [6].

There are other ways the government was involved and promoted this event. A couple of examples:

Government-funded science institutions contributed to Ram temple per a statement by the ministry of science and technology [7]. This is okay if the institutions treated Ram Mandir work as any other consultation provided to private industry and charged a fee, needing more investigation. 

Indian Air Force helicopters showered flowers on Ram Mandir after the Pran Pratishtha [8].  

Conclusion

There is strong evidence to say the government disregarded the constitutional guidelines. It promoted, participated in and showed preference for one religion.

One can be a Hindu, feel elated and celebrate Ram Mandir inauguration, absolutely understandable.  Being a proud Hindu and being a supporter of constitutional democracy are not mutually exclusive. Two month anniversary of Ram Mandir inauguration is an occasion to remember Ram and also the constitution. Hinduism can strive in a secular, democratic environment. More than 100 crore Hindus are capable of taking care of their religion, no need for any interference or management by the government.

One can have different political beliefs, right, left or center. But that does not and should not exclude one from supporting constitutional democracy.  One segment may benefit from deviating from the constitution now but the same may be negatively impacted by some other deviation in future if deviations become acceptable.

The Constitution is very important in protecting the country from being taken over by the government from the people. Once the country is gone from people to government ownership, it is very difficult to take it back!   

Wish India a great future as a constitutional democratic republic!

References

1. Preamble of the constitution. https://indiaculture.gov.in/sites/default/files/events/Preamble_the_Soul_of_the_Constitution_26.11.2020.pdf
2. Page-6 of the constitution.  https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s380537a945c7aaa788ccfcdf1b99b5d8f/uploads/2023/05/2023050195.pdf
3. Pages 14 and 15 of the constitution. https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s380537a945c7aaa788ccfcdf1b99b5d8f/uploads/2023/05/2023050195.pdf
4. Paragraphs 25-29 of the judgment.  https://indiankanoon.org/doc/60799/
5. PM Modi performs Pran-Pratishtha. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KcfTYh5aTM
6. PM Modi’s message, starting at 2:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaKcCBKmgBo
7. Ministry of Science and Technology press release. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1998335

IAF Choppers shower flower petals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sWoX5gu2m4

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