{"id":3527,"date":"2026-08-11T22:11:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:41:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/religion-in-indian-politics\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T23:01:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:31:52","slug":"religion-in-indian-politics","status":"publish","type":"psir_note","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/religion-in-indian-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion in Indian politics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PSIR Notes<\/a>\u203a<\/span>I-B Indian Government and Politics<\/a>\u203a<\/span>Religion in Indian politics<\/span><\/div>\n
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Paper I \u00b7 Indian Government and Politics<\/div>\n

Religion in Indian politics<\/h1>\n
Syllabus \u00b7 Paper I-B \u00b7 9<\/b> \u2014 Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Religion in Indian Politics<\/h3>\n

Meaning & Forms<\/h4>\n

Religion as basis of politics<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctrines reinterpret nationalism and political purpose \u2014 Bhagavad Gita read for political action; Quranic teachings used for community politics.<\/p>\n

Religion as tool of mobilization<\/span><\/p>\n

Temples, mosques, festivals, religious leaders, symbols, processions, sacred sites \u2014 e.g. Sarvajanik Ganesh Puja in Maharashtra.<\/p>\n

Communal politics<\/span> = using religion for secular<\/em> gains \u2014 votes, jobs, concessions, patronage and power.<\/p>\n

Reform \u2192 Revival \u2192 Communalism<\/h4>\n
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  • Reform (19th c.):<\/span> Raja Rammohan Roy questioned orthodox Hindu practice; movements attacked child marriage, enforced widowhood, caste ritual; Swami Vivekananda stressed Vedanta\u2019s moral-spiritual core while criticizing rigid hierarchy.<\/li>\n
  • Revival:<\/span> Bal Gangadhar Tilak opposed the Age of Consent Bill (religious interference), banned parallel sessions of the National Social Conference in 1885, popularized Sarvajanik Ganesh Puja \u2014 cultural nationalism gained priority over social reform. Hence Tilak\u2019s thesis: political reform must precede social reform<\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Bipan Chandra \u2014 the three stages of communalism.<\/span> Stage 1<\/span> (people see themselves as distinct<\/span> religious communities) \u2192 Stage 2<\/span> (they believe their interests contradict<\/span> other communities) \u2192 Stage 3<\/span> (interests are antagonistic<\/span> \u2014 coexistence held to be impossible). British rule deepened division \u2014 divide & rule, Partition of Bengal, separate electorates (Morley-Minto), communal representation, competitive elite politics.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Hindu Revivalism & Hindutva<\/h4>\n

    Revivalists linked nationhood with Vedic texts, Hindu symbols, spiritual superiority, cultural homogenization and the need to unify Hindus. Regional variants: Bengal \u2192 Bankim Chandra Chatterjee\u2019s Ananda Math<\/em> and \u201cVande Mataram\u201d; Maharashtra \u2192 Ganesh Utsav as mass mobilization; North India \u2192 cow protection and the Hindi-Urdu debate; Arya Samaj \u2192 reform plus polemics with non-Vedic faiths. Swami Dayanand Saraswati attacked some rituals yet took strong positions against non-Vedic faiths; Sri Aurobindo and Vivekananda presented ancient India as spiritually unique. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar<\/span>\u2019s Hindutva<\/em> converted Hindu identity into territorial-cultural nationalism<\/span> \u2014 Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh faiths treated as rooted in India; Muslims and Christians placed outside the core.<\/p>\n

    Thomas Blom Hansen<\/span> (The Saffron Wave<\/em>): the BJP\u2019s rise is not merely religious or political \u2014 it occurs against a background of democratic transformation. Pratap Bhanu Mehta<\/span>: Hindutva politics is not new; Congress too practiced \u201csoft Hindutva\u201d<\/span> \u2014 Ram Janmabhoomi gates opened under Rajiv Gandhi, the Shah Bano reversal, Indira Gandhi\u2019s use of Sikh fundamentalists against the Akalis and later Hindu fundamentalism against Sikhs, and symbolic Hindu gestures in contemporary Congress.<\/p>\n

    Islamic Reform & Community Identity<\/h4>\n

    Shah Waliullah, Sayyed Ahmad of Bareilly and Haji Shariatullah sought to purify Islam of non-Islamic elements; Sir Syed Ahmad Khan\u2019s Aligarh Movement promoted modern education and rationality, advising Muslims to stay aloof from nationalist politics for a time and cooperate with the colonial government for socio-economic progress. Traditionalists and modernists differed, but both deepened Muslim community consciousness. By the early 20th century, religious autonomy, minority representation, separate electorates and community rights became politically powerful \u2014 feeding the politics that culminated in Partition.<\/p>\n

    Secularism & Constitutional Politics<\/h4>\n
    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Instrument<\/th>\nContent<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Communal electorates<\/td>\nAbolished by the Constitution.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Articles 25\u201328<\/span><\/td>\nProtect religious freedom; secularism a basic feature.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    RPA 1951 \u00a7123(3)<\/td>\nProhibits appeals for votes on religious grounds (corrupt practice).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Supreme Court, 2017<\/td>\nRestricted appeals based on religion, caste, creed, community or language.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

    Rajeev Bhargava<\/span> calls Indian secularism \u201cprincipled distance\u201d<\/span> \u2014 the state need not follow strict separation, may intervene in religion for reform and equality, but must not privilege one faith. It differs from Western secularism because India is a deeply multi-religious society.<\/p>\n

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    \u201cThose who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Mahatma Gandhi<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    For Gandhi, religion meant morality and ethical politics \u2014 Ramrajya as an inclusive moral order, spirituality a guard against moral bankruptcy. Thomas Pantham<\/span> explains that Gandhi\u2019s \u201cPurna Swaraj\u201d and \u201cRamrajya\u201d went beyond liberal democracy, aiming at real freedom anchored in spirituality.<\/p>\n

    Communal Violence & Electoral Mobilization<\/h4>\n

    Patterns: disproportionate impact on minorities, partisan law enforcement, distorted history, mobilization around sacred sites, fear of \u201cthe other\u201d, and conversion of violence into vote polarization.<\/p>\n

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    • Romila Thapar<\/span> \u2192 medieval temple destruction often had political or economic causes, not only religious fanaticism.<\/li>\n
    • Gyan Pandey<\/span> \u2192 cow slaughter, language and \u201cHindi, Hindu, Hindustan\u201d hardened communal lines in North India.<\/li>\n
    • Kenneth Jones<\/span> (Arya Dharma<\/em>) \u2192 Arya Samaj in Punjab combined reform with polemics against Muslims and Sikhs.<\/li>\n
    • Paul R. Brass<\/span> \u2192 communal violence is organized and politically managed; his institutionalized riot systems<\/span> explain how riots are prepared, sustained and used electorally.<\/li>\n
    • Ashutosh Varshney<\/span> \u2192 stronger inter-community civic engagement makes an area less prone to communal violence.<\/li>\n
    • Moin Shakir<\/span> \u2192 minority electoral participation is limited to choices between reactionary, casteist and communal politics.<\/li>\n
    • Tausif Ahmed<\/span> \u2192 minority communalism is an assertion of identity under scarcity, but it may alienate minorities from the wider social fabric.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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      UPSC 2020 \u00b7 15 marks<\/span> \u2014 Examine the role of religion in Indian electoral politics in the contemporary times.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      Contemporary Importance<\/h4>\n

      Religion persists because identity is emotionally powerful, parties use religious symbols, religious leaders influence followers, personal laws and temple management stay political, communal violence affects voting, Hindutva has become a major national force, minority consolidation can follow in response, and religious issues intersect with welfare, security and citizenship.<\/p>\n

      Contemporary set:<\/span> Ram Mandir \u00b7 CAA \u00b7 NRC \u00b7 \u201cLove Jihad\u201d laws \u00b7 Babri judgment \u00b7 gurdwara politics \u2014 Punjab \u00b7 Assam migration \u00b7 Shiv Sena \/ Hindutva \u00b7 AIMIM \/ minority politics<\/p>\n

      Ashis Nandy<\/span> points to growth of religious revivalism and fundamentalism; Kanchan Chandra<\/span> treats religion as part of ethnicity-based politics; the Ranganath Misra Commission and Sachar Committee highlight minority socio-economic backwardness that feeds political insecurity; L. K. Advani\u2019s critique of \u201cpseudo-secularism\u201d<\/span> became central to the BJP\u2019s attack on Congress. On the electoral link, Steven I. Wilkinson<\/span> ties communal violence to electoral outcomes, and Samuel P. Huntington<\/span>\u2019s \u201cclash of civilizations\u201d offers a wider frame for religious identity politics.<\/p>\n

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      UPSC 2017 \u00b7 15 marks<\/span> \u2014 Religion is still an important factor in Indian politics. Discuss.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      Assessment<\/h4>\n

      Religion can give ethical depth (Gandhi) or become communal mobilization (both majoritarian and minority). It has moved from colonial communal representation to contemporary ideological nationalism, and works alongside welfare, leadership and development \u2014 not always alone. India\u2019s challenge is to protect religious freedom without letting communal polarization weaken citizenship.<\/p>\n

      Secularism \u2014 the Indian Model<\/h3>\n

      Indian secularism is constitutional before it is philosophical: Articles 14\u201316<\/span> (equality and non-discrimination), 25\u201328<\/span> (freedom of conscience and religion) and 29\u201330<\/span> (minority cultural and educational rights). Gandhi emphasised Sarva Dharma Sambhava<\/em>; Nehru, neutrality and principled distance; Ambedkar, minority protection and “one man, one value”.<\/p>\n

      Western strict separation vs the Indian model of principled distance<\/span><\/p>\n