BharatNotes What is Secularism vs Communalism?
Secularism in the Indian sense means the State has no official religion, treats all faiths with equal respect, and does not discriminate on religious grounds — captured in the idea of sarva dharma sambhava (equal respect for all religions). Unlike the Western "wall of separation," the Indian State practises principled distance: it may intervene in religious matters to promote equality and social reform (e.g., temple-entry laws, banning untouchability).
Communalism is the ideological opposite. According to historian Bipan Chandra, it is the belief that people sharing a religion form a single community with common social, political and economic interests that are distinct from — and ultimately opposed to — those of other religious communities. It is fundamentally a modern political ideology that uses religious identity for non-religious (secular) goals such as power and representation.
Constitutional Basis of Secularism
The word "Secular" was inserted into the Preamble by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 (during the Emergency, 1975-77), changing "Sovereign Democratic Republic" to "Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic." However, the secular character predates this through Articles 25-28.
| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| Article 25 | Freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise and propagate religion (subject to public order, morality, health) |
| Article 26 | Freedom of religious denominations to manage their own religious affairs |
| Article 27 | No person can be compelled to pay taxes for the promotion of any particular religion |
| Article 28 | No religious instruction in wholly State-funded educational institutions |
In S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994), a nine-judge Supreme Court bench held that secularism is part of the basic structure of the Constitution and that mixing religion with State power is constitutionally impermissible.
Secularism vs Communalism: Key Contrasts
| Dimension | Secularism | Communalism |
|---|---|---|
| View of religion | Private matter; equal respect by State | Basis of public/political identity |
| Society | Plural, shared citizenship | Divided into rival religious blocs |
| Goal | Harmony, equal rights | Power, mobilisation along faith lines |
| Method | Constitutional rights, reform | "We vs they" othering, often violence |
Bipan Chandra outlined communalism's progression in three stages: the belief that co-religionists share secular interests; the claim that these interests differ across communities; and finally the assertion that the interests of different communities are mutually hostile — the most extreme, violence-prone stage.
Current Status (as of 2024-25)
On 25 November 2024, the Supreme Court (bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar) dismissed petitions challenging the insertion of "secular" and "socialist" into the Preamble, holding there was no legitimate cause to disturb words that have become integral to the Constitution after nearly five decades.
UPSC Angle
This is a foundational topic linking GS1 (communalism, regionalism, social cohesion) with GS2 (fundamental rights, secularism as basic structure) and Essay. Aspirants should master the Indian model of secularism, the Articles 25-28 framework, the Bommai ruling, and Bipan Chandra's analysis of communalism. Foundation concept — underpins multiple questions on the communalism-secularism-regionalism family in GS1 and polity in GS2.
