Protecting India’s Linguistic Secularism

• India’s diversity in religion and language is crucial for its secular character, ensuring unity and integrity.

• These two aspects are also the predominant cross-cultural barriers, as seen in recent communal tensions and violence in Maharashtra.

• Indian secularism differs from Western practices, promoting religious freedom and equality.

• The Constitution empowers the state to take steps against communalism, both religious and linguistic.

• Article 29 of the Constitution allows any section of citizens, including minority groups, to protect their language, script, or culture.

• The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution includes 22 languages to protect linguistic diversity. The official language of the Union is Hindi in Devanagari script.

• The 121 languages are presented in two parts: languages included in the Eighth Schedule and languages not included (99).

• Respecting diversity is essential to protect India’s linguistic secularism.

• The recent violence against the non-Marathi population is a manifestation of identity politics, not to protect cultural identity.

• A conservative leaning towards religion or language could lead to societal fragmentation and tear apart the secular fabric.

• Political parties have the responsibility to ensure the protection of India’s diversity, which has been well shielded by the Constitution.