In a landmark judgement on Monday, India’s Supreme Court said political parties cannot seek votes in the name of religion, race, caste, community or language.
The ruling came days before the announcement of election dates in five states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi sounded the election bugle by addressing a massive rally in Lucknow.
Elections are secular exercises in a democracy and canvassing votes in the name of “religion, race, caste, community or language” amounted to “corrupt practice” under election law, a seven-judge bench of the country’s top court said in its 4:3 verdict.
Religion has no role in electoral processes, the court ruled, stressing that mixing state matters with religion is unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court’s ruling has special significance for Uttar Pradesh, where India’s ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is planning to woo Hindu voters by promising to build a Ram temple at a disputed site in Ayodhya.
Addressing the biggest rally in his political career at Lucknow on Monday afternoon, Modi said the human sea before him was symbolic of the winds of change blowing across Uttar Pradesh.
Attacking the state’s ruling Samajvadi Party (SP) for its “poor” governance, which neglected the common man, he said development had taken a back seat during the past 14 years. For India to progress, its most populous state too must develop and this is only possible if the people of Uttar Pradesh vote for change, Modi said.
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In my opinion overwhelming number of Indians are indeed religious people and sacred books, ancient mythologies and moral behaviour heroes of epics do indeed help! I hope they would follow their examples. But naked facts appear to be pretty different not only historic India but also in recent decades. You would agree with me, that there is a disgusting, shameful degree of corruption , ethical and moral rot, criminality and absence of enforcement of laws. That is why founders of modern India possessing admiral vision have made colossal efforts to draw up a constitution in 1950. It separates politics from religion. So Supreme Court has simply restating this fundamental principle. Often restatement of these are necessary. Perhaps the most important thing is to enforce existing laws as it one sees on the statute books to start with. Then keep on modifying and make new and better ones.
Mere insistence on religious laws is not enough. Other developed nations have gone through this experience. It is better that India learn from global experience.
adasdas
In India all our political parties owe their genes to the ishkavasu race like the king of truth satya harischandra….they will obey whatever the supreme court says now.It is a joke actually.