Time for caution: Are India&#39;s development and politics determined by religion?

Time for caution: Are India's development and politics determined by religion?

By Harasankar Adhikari
Is India, by definition, a secular nation? Secularism is only an ornament in this democracy. It becomes a political blame game. Political parties are distinctly classified into two religious segments. One plays the Hindutva card. And another group is used to using the secularity card while it is biassed and used to patronize the minority (Muslim) card, in spite of different unexpected happenings caused by the minority (Muslim). This nation was partitioned due to religious reasons, and at present India is symbolized as a tolerant nation so far as its secular nature is concerned, particularly after 1975 when the notion of secularism was enacted by then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. What was before that? It lacked a legally protected religious identity.
Since the country's independence, political parties in India have used religion to gain political advantage. It complicates the relationships between citizens. It has been expending handsome revenues for communal harmony, etc. , while comfortably sponsoring racial division for its own sake – (for a captive vote).
Are India's development and politics determined by religion? Political gossip, national development, and all other aspects are certainly limited within the realm of religious division. It reminds me of the caution of Rabindranath Tagore, "No religion whatsoever can for a moment stand on the basis of negation. It must have some great truth in its heart, which is positive and eternal, and for whose sake man can off all that he has, and be glad." Religion, or Dharma, is the 'highest ideal of perfection'. So, Tagore opined, 'It is a reality that has to be reached, and according to the degree of our relationship with it, we attain the fulfilment of life'. It is the supreme reality. 'It compromises within itself the highest spiritual enlighten; it is eternally true for all beings; its laws are not restricted to any boundary of outward circumstances. Therefore, it has the principles of reality, wisdom, and infinity.' ' It has its moral value, it leads us to peace, goodness, and love.'
Tagore also expressed, -"That which I value in my religion or my aspiration, I seek to find corroborated, in its fundamental unity, in other great religions, or in the hopes expressed in the history of other peoples. Each great movement of thought and endeavour in any part of the world may have something unique in its expression, but the truth underlying any of them never has the meretricious cheapness of utter novelty about it. The great Ganges must not hesitate to declare its essential similarity of Nile of Egypt, or to the Yangtse- Kiang of China. Only water-spout displays a sudden arrogance of singularity and vanishes in the void, leaving mother Nature ashamed of so monstrous a production!"
But in this democratic nation, religion becomes a narrow passage and the only cause of division. Therefore, Rabindranath advised, 'The mind of India is divided and scattered; there is no one common pathway along which we can reach it. '....our effort has been to establish our unity on the basis of our common interest in the political or economic situation.'
Last of all, will our political leaders, who used to spend their sleepless nights thinking about the betterment of their voters, rethink this? Will they think about development without religious essence?

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan* The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

'Serious violation of international law': US pressure on Mexico to stop oil shipments to Cuba

By Vijay Prashad In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security—a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council—which permits sanctions under strict conditions—the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

Search This Blog