Govt must act in a truly secular spirit

The concept of Hindu Rashtra or nation is not based on any definite ideology, religion or 'ism'. Such a nation would be substantially progressive and focus on genuine all-inclusive development.

One wonders if the Western 'free world' still really understands secular democratic India. In its latest report on international religious freedom, the State Department of the United States, supposedly the leader of the free world, portrays a dark picture of India on this front. The report says "attacks on members of religious minority communities, including killings, assaults and intimidation," occur in the country. It alleges the State machinery in the country has been unfair to its minorities; the police arrest non-Hindus for making comments that are considered offensive to Hindus or Hinduism. And so on and so forth.

The assessment of the non-official United States, which is supposed to be enlightened and fair, on India is not far different. Some time back, in a recorded message for Congressional briefing, Noam Chomsky, known for his rabidly leftist thoughts, said the Narendra Modi government in India "is systematically dismantling Indian secular democracy and turning the country into a Hindu ethnocracy..." Washington-based Asia Advocacy Director of Human Rights Watch, John Sifton, said the "greatest threat" to India's Constitution was the Modi government's "promotion of India's majority religion, Hinduism, at the expense of the country's secular foundation and its religious minorities."

Clearly, such influential elements in the United States have not grasped the correct meaning of the terms "Hindu" and "Hinduism." Those who know anything about these terms know well that they do not refer to any particular religious group. Hinduism is all-inclusive. It promotes, not deters, secularism and the idea of India as a diverse, pluralistic nation-State.

The all-inclusive nature of Hinduism is much inherent in the freedom of religion that has been guaranteed to each and every citizen in our Constitution. The Preamble of our Constitution explicitly declares India secular. Articles 25-28 of our Constitution guarantee the freedom of religion as a Fundamental Right.

Article 25 says that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health. Article 26 says that all denominations can manage their own affairs in matters of religion.

The irony of India rather is that the country is officially designated as 'secular and democratic.' Operationally, the successive governments at the Centre and in the states have generally been biased in favour of the country's minorities. They have continued to discriminate against the followers of Hinduism in the country. Article 26 provides people of all religions with the freedom to manage their religious institutions. Hindus are deprived of the benefits of this provision.

Article 25(2)(a) of the Constitution talks of the state control legislation over Hindu temples. Article 25(2)(b) empowers the state to enact laws "providing for social welfare and reform or the throwing open of Hindu religious institutions" to "all classes and sections of Hindus". Using these clauses in the Article 25, various State governments have, through their respective Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Acts, assumed financial and management control of over a hundred thousand Hindu temples.

According to an account, the State government in Tamil Nadu controls the Hindu temples which own 4,78,545 acres of prime agricultural land, 22,599 buildings and 33,627 'sites'. One estimate has it that in Karnataka, the State controls around 34,500 of its temples. All 'hundi' collections from these temples are deposited in the designated temple bank accounts. Of this, 14% is used by the government as administration fees, 4% as audit fees and between 4 to 10% as the 'Commissioner Common Good Fund'.

In October 2021, the Malabar Devaswom Board, a part of the Kerala government, took over the Mattannur Mahadeva temple in Kannur. Reports are that the officials of the Board entered the premises of the temple and took it over under police protection. It is high time our government acted reasonably and freed all Hindu temples from its control. The government must treat followers of all religions equally. The government must act in the spirit of a Hindu State. This would make our state truly democratic and secular.

Needless to mention, a Hindu State is not supposed to be based on any definite ideology, religion or 'ism.' A Hindu State would be substantially progressive. It would focus on genuine all-inclusive development. One may find the best definition of a Hinduism and Hindu nation (rashtra) in a recent statement of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. Herein he said, "RSS does not believe in ism. India cannot be represented by any book." He also has clarified that "all people (including homosexuals and transgender people) have a place in society."

The good news is that the demand for fair treatment to Hindus has of late been gaining momentum across the country. In 2021, the Karnataka government did well to order that the funds of the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department be no longer used to fund any non-Hindu religious institutions.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.