T. B. Macaulay, in his address, shared about India’s social and cultural integrity and economic strength with the British Parliament on February 2, 1835. He remarked,  

“I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber that I do not think we would ever conquer their country unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient educational system and her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is to the good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.”

Surprisingly at that time, the people of India were also multi-religious, with majorities and minorities, etc. But they had no inter- and intra-religious complexities and competitiveness. It was echoed in the speeches of Swami Vivekananda later, after about six decades. Regarding India’s religious and cultural integrity and harmony, he reminded us that religion was a central aspect of Indian life and culture. In his vision, ‘India is the land of religion, and religious life forms the centre, the keynote of the whole music of national life.’ Further, he shared his experiences that ‘there is only one country in the world that understands religion—it is India.’ ‘ In India, religion and religion alone is the life of India, and when that goes, India will die, in spite of politics, in spite of social reforms, in spite of Kubera’s wealth poured upon the head of every one of her children.’ According to him, ‘Religion is the life of India; religion is the language of this country, the symbol of all its movements.’ So, he guided, ‘To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all is religion’ because religion is simply beautiful.’ Regarding tolerance and non-violence, he preached to respect and to bear dignity for all religions because ‘if ever any religion approached this equality in an appreciable manner, it is Islam and Islam alone.’

But unfortunately this great nation was divided finally on the basis of religion through its political freedom in 1947. There was no effort made among the Indian Congress and its leaders as if it was their will to meet their own narrow selfishness. The religious discrimination was enacted by the divided and rule policy of the leaders. Of course, religious conflict and disharmony were started under the leadership of M.K. Gandhi, when Swami Shradhananda was murdered by the Muslim brothers at the Moplah Rebellion, or the Malabar Rebellion, a movement against the British Raj and Hindu landlords in the Malabar region of Kerala in 1921. Then Gandhiji was silent, and he silently witnessed it. He did not take any initiative to bridge the misunderstanding between Hindu and Muslim followers, even after Rabindra Nath’s caution. Then two incidents of Hindu and Muslim riots were massacred in between India’s independence in 1947—the “Calcutta Great Killing’ and the “Noakhali riots’. 

After the very day of independence, India was declared to maintain its secular nature, although officially it was declared as a secular nation in ‘the 42nd amendment, officially known as the Constitution (Forty-second amendment) Act, 1976 during the Emergency (25 June 1975–21 March 1977) by the Indian National Congress government headed by Indira Gandhi.’

The non-violent leaders of the Indian Congress did not make any policy to maintain India’s secularity. But the leaders (mostly) patronized significant bias towards the Muslim minority in this nation. It had no effort to mainstream the religious integrity among the majority (Hindu) and minority (Muslim). After 75 years of its political freedom, the religious disharmony has been becoming a prominent threat to this nation, while the Indian National Congress was the prolonged ruler of this democratic nation.

The minority (Muslim) has been buttering for political politics. This particular religious group has become the trump card of the captive vote bank for almost all religious parties (the exception is the BJP, which has another religious vision with temple-mosque political and Hindu state, etc.).The Indian National Congress party emphasized madrasa education for Muslims without any effort to integrate it within general education. It is an aspect of identical educational separation among Hindus and Muslims. This party and its allies did not think of national religious identity through personal laws while it is common only for criminal acts. It also enacted the Waqf Act, 1995, which was also a step to buttering a particular religious faith. From the very beginning, a religious hate policy and program were instigated by the ruling Indian National Congress and other regional political parties. It did not also follow the declaration of the United Nations General Assembly adopted in December 1966, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 18 of this Covenant recognizes that: Everyone shall have the right to have or adopt a religion of his/her choice; everyone shall have the freedom to manifest his/her religion through worship, observance, and practice; no one shall be subject to coercion that would impair his/her freedom to have or adopt a religion of his/her choice.’

No political party teaches Muslim minorities that they are not foreigners; they are Indian nationals. For political politics, the political parties take advantage of some assurances of benefits for votes only. It tactically makes differences between two religious rival groups with hate and conflict. The continuation of this hate and conflict is nothing but a political party’s sponsored scheme. For education and liberal thinking among these two rival groups can only integrate and yield ever more peace. The religious faith and act might be different, but the people of India are the son of the mother India to be the organ of our unity in diversity.