Religion and politics

2011-10-14T20:52:00.001-07:00

Religious ideology, particularly that expressed by the Hindutva movement, has strongly influenced Indian politics in the last quarter of the 20th century. Many of the elements underlying India's casteism and communalism originated during the rule of the British Raj, particularly after the late 19th century; the authorities and others often politicised religion.^[76] The Indian Councils Act 1909 (widely known as the Morley-Minto Reforms Act), which established separate Hindu and Muslim electorates for the Imperial Legislature and provincial councils, was particularly divisive. It was blamed for increasing tensions between the two communities.^[77]

Due to the high degree of oppression faced by the lower castes, the Constitution of India included provisions for affirmative action for certain sections of Indian society. Growing disenchantment with the Hindu caste system has led thousands of Dalits (also referred to as "Untouchables") to embrace Buddhism and Christianity in recent decades.^[78] In response, many states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) introduced laws that made them more difficult; they assert that such conversions are often forced or allured.^[79] The BJP, a Hindu nationalist party, also gained widespread media attention after its leaders associated themselves with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and other prominent religious issues.^[80]

A well known accusation that Indian political parties make for their rivals is that they play vote bank politics, meaning give political support to issues for the sole purpose of gaining the votes of members of a particular community. Both the Congress Party and the BJP have been accused of exploiting the people by indulging in vote bank politics. The Shah Bano case, a divorce lawsuit, generated much controversy when the Congress was accused of appeasing the Muslim orthodoxy by bringing in a parliamentary amendment to negate the Supreme Court'sdecision. After the 2002 Gujarat violence, there were allegations of political parties indulging in vote bank politics.^[81]

During an election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP released an inflammatory CD targeting Muslims.^[82] This was condemned by theCommunist Party of India (Marxist) as playing the worst kind of vote bank politics.^[83] Caste-based politics is also important in India; caste-based discrimination and the reservation system continue to be major issues that are hotly debated.^[84]^[85]

[edit]Education

Several political parties have been accused of using their political power to manipulate educational content in a revisionist manner. During theJanata Party government (1977–1979), the government was accused of being too sympathetic to the Muslim viewpoint. In 2002, the BJP-ledNDA government tried to change the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) school textbooks through a new National Curriculum Framework.^[86]

Some media referred to it as the "saffronisation" of textbooks, saffron being the colour of BJP flag.^[86] The next government, formed by the UPA and led by the Congress Party, pledged to de-saffronise textbooks.^[87] Hindu groups alleged that the UPA promoted Marxist and pro-Muslim biases in school curricula.^[88]^[89]

[edit]Conflicts

Main article: Religious violence in India

See also: Religious conflicts in India

Aftermath of Hindu-Muslim clashes in Calcutta following the 1946 Direct Action Day.

Communal conflicts have periodically plagued India since it became independent in 1947. The roots of such strife lie largely in the underlying tensions between sections of its majority Hindu and minority Muslim communities, which emerged under the Raj and during the bloody Partition of India. Such conflict also stems from the competing ideologies of Hindu nationalism versus Islamic fundamentalismand Islamism; both are prevalent in parts of the Hindu and Muslim populations.

Alongside other major Indian independence leaders, Mahatma Gandhi and his shanti sainiks ("peace soldiers") worked to quell early outbreaks of religious conflict in Bengal, including riots in Calcutta(now in West Bengal) and Noakhali District (in modern-day Bangladesh) that accompaniedMuhammad Ali Jinnah's Direct Action Day, which was launched on 16 August 1946. These conflicts, waged largely with rocks and knives and accompanied by widespread looting and arson, were crude affairs. Explosives and firearms, which are rarely found in India, were far less likely to be used.^[90]

Many of Ahmedabad's buildings were set on fire during the 2002 Gujarat violence.

Major post-independence communal conflicts include the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots, which followedOperation Blue Star by the Indian Army; heavy artillery, tanks, and helicopters were employed against the Sikh partisans inside the Harmandir Sahib, causing heavy damage to Sikhism's holiest Gurdwara. According to the Indian government estimations, the assault caused the deaths of up to 100 soldiers, 250 militants, and hundreds of civilians.^[91]

This triggered Indira Gandhi's assassination by her outraged Sikh bodyguards on 31 October 1984, which set off a four-day period during which Sikhs were massacred; The Government of India reported 2,700 Sikh deaths however human rights organizations and newspapers report the death toll to be 10,000-17,000. In the aftermath of the riot, the Government of India reported 20,000 had fled the city, however the PUCL reported "at least" 50,000 displaced persons. ^[92]

The most affected regions were neighborhoods in Delhi. Human rights organizations and the newspapers believe the massacre was organized.^[93] The collusion of political officials in the massacres and the failure to prosecute any killers alienated normal Sikhs and increased support for the Khalistan movement. The Akal Takht, the governing religious body of Sikhism, most definitely considers the killings to be a genocide.^[94]

Other incidents include the 1992 Bombay Riots that followed the demolition of the Babri Mosque as a result of the Ayodhya debate, and the2002 Gujarat violence that followed the Godhra Train Burning—in the latter, more than 2,000 Muslims were killed.^[95] Terrorist activities such as the 2005 Ram Janmabhoomi attack in Ayodhya, the 2006 Varanasi bombings, the 2006 Jama Masjid explosions, and the 11 July 2006 Mumbai Train Bombings are often blamed on communalism. Lesser incidents plague many towns and villages; representative was the killing of five people in Mau, Uttar Pradesh during Hindu-Muslim rioting, which was triggered by the proposed celebration of a Hindu festival.^[95]

Major religious riots, since Independence

Year	Riot	State / Region	Cause	Aftermath
1984	Anti Sikh riots	Delhi	Assassination of Indira Gandhi	Government of India reported 2,700 Sikh deaths and 20,000 displaced. PUCL and newspapers report death toll to be 10,000-17,000 and "at least" 50,000 displaced.^[92]
1992-1993	Bombay Riots	Mumbai	Demolition of Babri Masjid	900 people dead
2002	Gujarat Riots	Gujarat	Godhra train burning	1,044 people killed; 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus (including those killed in the Godhra train fire)
2008	Kandhamal riots	Kandhamal district,Orissa	Murder of Swami Lakshmanananda	Over 20 killed and over 12,000 displaced

[edit]Notes

[edit]Citations

1. ^ Excludes figures of Paomata, Mao Maram and Purul sub-districts of Senapati district of Manipur state

2. ^ The data are "unadjusted" (without excluding Assam and Jammu and Kashmir); the 1981 census was not conducted in Assam and the 1991 census was not conducted in Jammu and Kashmir.

Religions of India

Religion and politics