RELIGION & POLITICS IN INDIA By Samama Suhail*

RELIGION & POLITICS IN INDIA By Samama Suhail

What is Religion? Religion is a strong belief in a supernatural power or

powers that control human destiny. Religion is an institution to express
belief in a divine power. Religion—sometimes used interchangeably
with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning
the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices and
institutions associated with such belief. In its broadest sense some
have defined it as the sum total of answers given to explain
humankind's relationship with the universe.
What is Politics? Politics is the process by which groups of people make
decisions. On hearing the word politics, what usually springs to mind
are images of government, politicians and their policies or more
negatively the idea of corruption and dirty tricks. The actual definition
seems to have been obscured and almost lost by such representations
and clichés that tend not to pinpoint the true essence, which defines
this thing, called politics. Politics implies measures which could and
should, in the views of their devisor, be implemented in the hope to
create a better society, than that which is already present.

"Most religious men I've met are politicians in disguise,

I however wear the guise of a politician but am at heart a
religious man."
Mahatma Gandhi
“The Combination of politics and religion in communal politics
is the most dangerous combination and must be put an end to.
It is harmful to the country as a whole; it is harmful to the
majority but probably but probably it is most harmful to the
minority that seeks to have some advantage from it. I think
even the past history of India will show that”
Jawaharlal Nehru said it the Constituent Assembly on April 3,
1948.

Religion is a personal affair that should not have anything to do with

public matters including politics. Man has made religion in order to
develop discipline and also to satiate his spiritual needs. Any religion
that gives birth to riots and violence cannot be a religion. Religion
cannot exist without people. But ironically, man has been exploiting

*Author is 3rd year Student of Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
 RELIGION & POLITICS IN INDIA By Samama Suhail*

religion to reap political harvest to inject venom and to divide the

people.
Most of the politicians routinely visit religious places to seek divine
blessings. Even though they are staunch believers in religion and
meticulously follow religious diktats, they never stop from reminding
us that they are pure secularists. Those who claim themselves to be
secular socialists hobnob with religious leaders for votes.
The religion-politics relationship poses no threat to a country's polity as
long as politics does not use religion and vice versa. Unfortunately our
country witnesses both of them. “Today, politics has been
religionised and religion has been politicised”. Thus a religion
-politics collusion is taking place.
In India, religion is crucial to life and is a major influence over the
Indian population and culture. No part of Indian life is without the
presence of religion. Religion also plays an important role in the politics
of India. A political party’s support greatly depends upon the religion
the group acknowledges. The main religions of India are Hinduism and
Islam and each religion has parties from whom support is given.
Politics as it is said that it is a mean by which one captures the seat of
ultimate power in any setup by democracy or aristocracy or
dictatorship. More than Eighty five percent of world population has a
religion to be associated with. In order to have grip over the power it is
necessary that maximum number or those numbers which could
catapult a person to seat of power is those group which believes in a
particular religion. Hence, a correlation starts i.e. politicization of
Religion and doctrination of religion in politics. Since, politics is a mean
to capture a power and religion is a means by which maximum
numbers of persons are provided. And hence, it is religion which plays
an important role in participation of men and women in a walk of life
and thus, in order to achieve the political objective of the capturing
power a need to exploit and exploit the religion in order to sustain
politics by clinging on power could well established a relation between
religion and politics. Though one could argue that combination is
deadly and toxic yet it is an aphrodisiac to test to taste the power. The
power to rule. The power to power at every level. I am concentrating
my studies on National and Provincial level and my studies further
goes with the assumption that the same model is being replicated at
lower levels. When India set herself out of chain of British Rule the

*Author is 3rd year Student of Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
 RELIGION & POLITICS IN INDIA By Samama Suhail*

same old age deadly combination of religion and politics plays it

nefarious role. Each individual of higher learning at the time of
partition took a religious stand thus leading to secessionism of major
part of India. It was highly unexpected that learning men of that time
who received so called secular education and has always condemn and
decried the role of religion used the power of religion to capture the
power the of politics. Thus, as the time progress and marches even a
person who doesn’t believe in religion ought to have some kind of
understanding to have control of power in nation or state. The religious
person with fanatic bend of disposition towards a religion is stuck to
power by formulation such policies and mechanism to show that the
other community is ready to annihilate them and uses his imagination
and practices of politics to corner and annihilate the other group. It has
been seen that in any nation the majority religion control and defines
as to how it should be govern. The leader of the majority group always
fears psychosis that other party is going to become a majority if step
is taken to check it. Likewise in any nation the minority and ginger
group living in danger of being an annihilated always took the thing in
a narrow prism that they are being discriminated due to the act of
certain member of majority community this process of exclusion of
majority community and minority community is goes on. Its effect
varies from region to region. In south Asia it has very different
reverberation while in other part of Asia such as Middle East the
different kind of religio – politics is practice in western country
particularly Europe thing are being practice in different manner. Their
approach is sophisticated and complex while in south Asia it is raw.
And explode in violent manner.
As I discuss that the partition of India was basically due fear one
religion over another religion. This acrimony and schism still
percolates down the memory lane despite six decade. In first decade of
Indian independence it was an idealism which was holding this nation.
A particular portion of region is harbouring an anti minority feeling. A
group was also existing which could be called buffer group which was
existing in majority community. Pushing the negative impact of
radical element of the community. At that point of time strong men
were ruling and the religious assertion was largely unorganised. It was
a lose arrangement. Arrangement were broken of and went.

*Author is 3rd year Student of Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi