Revival of religion a matter of concern, says NALSAR VC Faizan Mustafa

ALIGARH (UTTAR PRADESH): Terming the revival of religion in public space as a matter of "serious concern", noted jurist and vice-chancellor of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderbad, Faizan Mustafa has said India is becoming "less secular" every year.

The controversy over a Republic Day advertisement in which two words were dropped from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution and the subsequent utterance of Shiv Sena, an ally of the ruling BJP, is an opportunity to critically examine the state of the secular polity, he told PTI here yesterday.

"India's failure to erect a wall between state and religion was the first blunder. Secularism is the core of modernity and the narrative of secularism is the story of progress and the exercise of reason," he said.

Mustafa, who was here to attend a function at Aligarh Muslim University, pointed out that the "extreme right rhetoric" of the last eight months gives ample indication that Hinduism may soon become the de facto religion of the state.

He said that the revival of religion in public space was a matter of serious concern.

"The failure of India's experiment with secularism will be the greatest tragedy of the 21st century," he added.

"When the Shiv Sena had given a call for establishment of the first Hindu state in the country in Maharashtra, the highest court in the country should have taken cognisance of this alarming move, but unfortunately this was not done," he added.