Religion and Identity Politics: Political Processes in India

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the role of religion in shaping identity politics in India.
2. Analyze how religious identities intersect with political processes.
3. Explore the influence of religion on political mobilization and party systems.
4. Examine the impact of religion-based policies and movements on Indian democracy.

Religion has been one of the most powerful forces in shaping identity politics within the political processes in India. The multi-religious nature of India, coupled with its long history of religious interactions, makes religion a key factor in both the construction of political identities and the formation of political processes. It operates as both an explicit and implicit driver of electoral behavior, political mobilization, and policy-making.

Religious Identity in Indian Politics

Religious identity plays a significant role in defining political alignments and antagonisms in India. Unlike other forms of identity, such as caste or ethnicity, religion is deeply ingrained in the socio-political fabric of the country, often transcending geographical boundaries.

1. Historical foundation: The British colonial period institutionalized religious identities in India. The policies of separate electorates for Hindus, Muslims, and other religious groups fostered a system where religion became a primary axis of political representation.
2. Post-Independence politics: After India gained independence in 1947, the leadership, especially under Jawaharlal Nehru, attempted to build a secular state where religion would remain a private matter. However, religious communities continued to play a role in the political sphere. Political parties often catered to the demands of religious groups, either to mobilize votes or to maintain a fragile balance in India’s pluralistic society.
3. Constitutional recognition: The Indian Constitution recognizes the freedom of religion and maintains secularism as a foundational principle. However, it also guarantees rights to religious minorities, including personal laws that apply only to specific religious communities, thereby embedding religion within the political process.
4. Communal vs. Secular politics: Over time, the tension between communal (religion-based) and secular politics has come to define much of Indian political discourse. The rise of political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with its explicit appeal to Hindu nationalist sentiments, represents a shift towards more overt religious politics, challenging the secular ethos.

Important Note: Secularism in India does not denote a complete separation of religion and state but rather equal treatment of all religions by the state.

Political Mobilization and Religion

Religion has been an effective tool for political mobilization in India, used by both state and non-state actors. Its emotional and historical significance allows it to galvanize large sections of the population.

1. Religious symbolism: Political parties and leaders often invoke religious symbols to build a shared sense of identity among their followers. For example, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the late 1980s and 1990s, led by the BJP and its affiliate organizations, used the symbol of Lord Ram and the claim of rebuilding the Ram temple in Ayodhya as a powerful tool to mobilize Hindu sentiment.
2. Electoral strategies: Religion-based electoral strategies are common in India, where parties craft their messages to appeal to specific religious communities. Vote bank politics, wherein political parties focus on religious communities like Muslims, Dalits, or upper-caste Hindus, reflect how religion can be manipulated for electoral gain.
3. Social movements: Religious social movements have also played a significant role in shaping Indian politics. Groups like the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) have propagated a Hindu nationalist agenda, which has influenced both grassroots mobilization and electoral outcomes.
4. Religious minorities and politics: Religious minorities, particularly Muslims, have often found themselves in a precarious position in Indian politics. While they represent a significant portion of the electorate, they are frequently marginalized in both mainstream political discourse and policy-making. The rise of Hindu majoritarian politics has exacerbated this marginalization, creating a sense of political alienation among minorities.

Religion-Based Political Parties

India’s political landscape includes both religion-based parties and secular parties that use religious rhetoric. The intersection of religion and politics is further complicated by the rise of identity-based political formations.

1. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): The BJP, with its Hindutva ideology, is one of the most significant players in the religious-political spectrum in India. Hindutva advocates for a Hindu majoritarian state, where Hindu culture and identity are promoted above others. Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the BJP has gained unprecedented electoral success, largely by appealing to Hindu sentiments.
2. Indian National Congress (INC): Traditionally, the Congress party adopted a secular stance, attempting to balance the religious diversity of the country. However, in recent years, the Congress has been accused of engaging in soft Hindutva to compete with the BJP for the Hindu vote bank.
3. Muslim political parties: While no major Muslim political party has succeeded in garnering pan-Indian support, regional Muslim-centric parties like the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) have gained ground in states like Telangana and Maharashtra. These parties focus on safeguarding Muslim rights in the face of increasing Hindu majoritarianism.
4. Regional religious parties: Several states in India have political parties that draw heavily on religion for their identity. In Punjab, for instance, the Shiromani Akali Dal has traditionally represented the Sikh community in both state and national politics.

Religion and Policy-Making

Religion affects policy-making in India in significant ways, often leading to tensions between different religious communities and between religious and secular forces within the state.

1. Personal laws: India’s legal system allows for personal laws that apply specifically to different religious communities. For example, Muslims, Hindus, and Christians have different laws regarding marriage, inheritance, and divorce. This arrangement has sparked debates over the need for a Uniform Civil Code that would standardize personal laws across all religions.
2. Reservations and affirmative action: The Indian state has implemented affirmative action policies to help historically marginalized communities, including Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). However, there have been demands from various religious groups, including Muslims and Christians, for similar reservations in education and employment.
3. Religious places and disputes: Religious disputes over places of worship, such as the Babri Masjid and Ram Janmabhoomi conflict, have had a profound impact on Indian politics. Such disputes often serve as flashpoints for communal violence and are used by political actors to further polarize religious communities.
4. Religious conversions: Conversion to different religions, particularly from Hinduism to Christianity or Islam, has been a contentious issue. Several states have passed anti-conversion laws, which prohibit conversion by force or inducement. These laws, however, are criticized for being discriminatory and for curbing religious freedom.

Secularism and Religious Nationalism

The tension between secularism and religious nationalism continues to define the Indian political landscape. While the Constitution mandates a secular state, Hindu nationalism, led by organizations like the RSS and political parties like the BJP, seeks to redefine India’s national identity based on Hindu culture.

1. Secularism under threat: The rise of Hindutva politics has challenged the secular ethos of the Indian state. Critics argue that the current political dispensation privileges Hindu identity and marginalizes religious minorities. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) have been seen as efforts to institutionalize a religious hierarchy in Indian citizenship laws.
2. The rise of religious nationalism: Hindu nationalism advocates for a cultural nationalism that emphasizes India’s Hindu past and seeks to reclaim it in the present political context. This rise has been facilitated by economic liberalization, which created a new middle class more receptive to Hindutva ideas.
3. Global influence: The rise of religious nationalism in India is part of a broader global trend where religion has increasingly become a tool for political mobilization. In India, the influence of diasporic communities has also helped in the international projection of Hindu nationalism.

Process Flow:
Hindu nationalism → electoral success → policy changes → challenges to secularism

Important Concept: The Uniform Civil Code debate represents the clash between secularism and religious identities in Indian policy-making.

MCQ: Which political party in India primarily advocates for Hindutva ideology?
a) Indian National Congress
b) Bharatiya Janata Party
c) Communist Party of India
d) Aam Aadmi Party
Answer: b