Question

“Secularism is not an ideology of some political party or person, it is one of the foundations of our country.” Examine the statement.

Answer 1

Hint: A secular nation is one which does not have an official religion. It gives its citizens the freedom to practice and propagate any religion of choice.

Complete step by step answer: Secularism is not only the foundation of India but it is an essence that says that there is unity in diversity. In India, there is no official religion. People have the right to practice, propagate and profess any religion they want. This is our constitutional right. The constitution not only prohibits discrimination on the ground of religion but also has provisions to punish a person who does discriminate on that basis. There is ample freedom not to be a part of any religion as well. A person can be an atheist and still have the same rights as any other religious follower. Not having an official religion, unlike Buddhism in Sri Lanka or Islam in Pakistan, India secures and respects every religion. There is also a proper separation of religion with the state i.e. it can not intervene with matters relating to religion. However, there are few exceptions to these. Secularism in India, where we have followers of more than six religions, seeks to ensure and protect freedom of religious belief for all citizens. With the diversity that India has, it becomes next to impossible to not observe its beauty and how secularism is its essence.

Note: The word “secular” was added in the Preamble of the Indian constitution by the 42nd Amendment Act. Apart from that “socialist” and “integrity” were also added by the same amendment act.