MONDAY, JUNE 02, 2025
Two Years on, Has the Congress Government in Karnataka Shown a Commitment to Secularism?
Published on May 25, 2025
By EMN
Share
- The Congress’s victory in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections was hailed across India as a moment of hope with the defeat of the state’s Hindutva-driven Bharatiya Janata Party government. As the Congress celebrated its second anniversary in the state on May 19, has it delivered on its secular promises since it came to office?
- It is crucial to first consider the policy landscape the Congress inherited from the BJP.
- Early in 2022, the BJP banned hijabs in educational institutions, severely restricting Muslim girls’ right to education. School textbooks were revised to remove or dilute information about key social reformers, secular leaders and rationalist thinkers. At the same time, narratives were introduced that aligned with the ideological framework of the Sangh Parivar – the family of Hindutva organisations to which the BJP belongs.
- In addition, temple committees and festival organisers, under pressure from Hindutva organisations, prohibited Muslim traders from participating in Hindu temple fairs and religious events. This institutionalised discrimination in public life.
- The BJP also enforced a ban on cattle slaughter and beef consumption, significantly hurting the livelihoods of minority and Dalit communities and policing food consumption.
- Finally, the government promoted the “love jihad” conspiracy theory, claiming that Muslim men were marrying Hindu women solely with the aim of converting them to Islam. In May 2022, it introduced restrictions on interfaith marriages and religious conversions.
- Sweeping legal powers were given to the police under the anti-conversion law, including powers to make non-bailable arrests without warrants or prior judicial permission, to act on complaints made by undefined third-party associates and reversing the burden of proof on those accused of various offences.
-
- Key promises
- The Congress government came to power in May 2023 with promises to reverse many of these decisions. Two years later, a critical examination reveals a mixed record, suggesting both moments of initiative and lapses of conviction.
- On the hijab ban, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah publicly expressed the government’s intention to withdraw the order. However, the assurance remained largely rhetorical. In February, the state’s Education Minister stated that the existing dress code policies, including the ban on hijabs, would continue until the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the matter.
- This equivocation, while perhaps tactically prudent, betrays a lack of political will to decisively protect Muslim girls’ right to education.
- In contrast, the Congress government was far more resolute in tackling the textbook revisions initiated under the BJP. Within months of assuming office, the government constituted expert committees to review the curriculum, remove ideologically biased content, and reinstate chapters on rationalist thinkers, social reformers and progressive national leaders.
- These revisions aimed to restore balance and inclusivity in the education system.
- However, the government’s record on economic and social inclusion at temple fairs is less encouraging. In October 2023, several local committees, comprising members from various religious communities, appealed to district authorities to permit Muslim traders to participate in temple fairs – events from which they had been systematically excluded under the BJP.
- Despite these appeals, the Congress government failed to issue a clear, state-wide directive allowing Muslim vendors to participate. This absence of a uniform policy framework perpetuates uncertainty and demonstrates the Congress’s reluctance to confront discriminatory practices head-on, further weakening its secular credentials.
- The Congress has also fallen short on its promise to repeal the cattle slaughter law, a key element of the BJP’s strategy to effect cultural and economic control. During its 2023 campaign, the Congress pledged to undo this legislation, which has caused economic hardship for many minority and marginalised communities.
- Yet, two years into its tenure, the law remains in force. This inaction reflects a deeper malaise – an unwillingness to confront the Hindutva ecosystem for fear of political backlash, even at the cost of forsaking a stated electoral commitment rooted in inclusive, secular values.
- Similarly, the government’s handling of the anti-conversion law has been marked by hesitation. Although the state cabinet resolved to repeal the law, the bill to that effect has not been introduced in the Assembly. The delay again underscores the Congress’s concern over potential political repercussions.
- It raises serious questions about whether the party is truly willing to stake political capital in defence of constitutional freedoms when it matters most.
- Taken together, these developments suggest that the Congress government’s performance on secularism has been, at best, uneven and, at worst, disappointing.
- This equivocation is not merely a matter of political expediency; it risks hollowing out the very principles the party claims to stand for. The Congress cannot continue to position itself as a secular alternative to the BJP if, when in power, it shies away from reversing bigoted policies due to electoral concerns.
- True secularism demands more than symbolic gestures or bureaucratic half-measures; it requires the courage to stand firm on the Constitution, especially when doing so is politically inconvenient.
-
- Vishal R Choradiya is an assistant professor with the Department of Professional Studies, Christ University, Bengaluru
Nagaland Districts
