Can Secular Liberal Politics Be Reincarnated in India?

Abstract

This article examines the possibilities of reviving secular liberal politics in India after the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu fundamentalist group, in the 2004 national election. The research begins with a historical analysis of the ideals of secularism and liberalism in Indian politics. The success of the Hindutva movement was built on the failure of previous regimes to implement secular principles in politics and in society. The underlying premise is that while secular politics was (and is) based on the norms of exclusion, communal politics has succeeded in incorporating the norms of inclusion. The success of Hindutva should be taken seriously and secular liberal ideology has much to learn from the logic and grammar of the rules of inclusion.