PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Caste, Religion & Ethnicity
Examine the role of religion in Indian electoral politics in the contemporary times.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
rR! law bars religious appeals (RPA §123(3) + SC 2017) → yet religion stays a strong emotive factor in voting R2 religion formally out of the ballot → in practice it works as “identity plus, not alone
Body flow
mobilisation via symbols / sacred sites → Savarkar's Hindutva (ethnic- territorial Hindu identity) → BJP's rise since the 1980s tied to Hindu nationalist mobilisation → Hansen: set against democratic transformation, not purely religious → Advani's “pseudo-secularism” → anti-Congress line → Ram Mandir / CAA / NRC / Babri / “Love Jihad” → vote polarisation + minority consolidation → Brass: institutionalised riots prepared & used electorally
Counter-view
religion no longer works alone → Yadav's “Identity Plus” → faith combines with governance, employment, development → identity must pair with delivery
Conclusion routes
rR! religion is strong but not sufficient → parties must join identity with governance and delivery R2 shift from religion-alone to “identity plus” → contemporary parties combine faith with development and security
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
