Read the passage and answer the questions:
The 1980s also saw the rise of political organisation of the Dalits. In 1978 the Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) was formed. This organisation was not an ordinary trade union of government employees. It took a strong position in favour of political power to the ‘bahujan’ – the SC, ST, OBC and minorities. It was out of this that the subsequent Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti and later the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) emerged under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. The other long-term development during this period was the visible rise of politics based on religious identity leading to a debate about secularism and democracy. After the fall of the Janata Party and its break-up, the supporters of erstwhile Jana Sangh formed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1980. Initially, the BJP adopted a broader political platform than that of the Jana Sangh. BJP embraced ‘Gandhian’ Socialism along with cultural nationalism as its ideology. But it did not get much success in the elections held in 1984. After 1986, the party began to emphasise nationalism as the core of its ideology. The BJP also pursued the politics of ‘Hindutva’ for political mobilisation.
Two developments around 1986 became central to the politics of BJP. The first was the Shah Bano case in 1985. In this case a 62-year old divorced Muslim woman, had filed a case for maintenance from her former husband. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Shah Bano. The orthodox Muslims saw the Supreme Court’s order as an interference in Muslim Personal Law. On the demand of some Muslim leaders, the government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 that nullified the Supreme Court’s judgement. The Ayodhya issue, as the second significant development, was deeply rooted in socio-cultural and political history of the country pertaining to different perspectives from various stakeholders.
The rise of politics based on religious identity led to a debate about-
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Secularism and Democracy
Option (1) Hindu nationalism and elections — Incorrect. The passage says the BJP later emphasised nationalism and ‘Hindutva’ for political mobilisation; that was the party’s strategy, not the debate the trend raised.
Option (2) Secularism and Democracy — Correct. The visible rise of politics based on religious identity led to a debate about secularism and democracy, that is, about whether religion should shape politics in a democracy.
Option (3) Majoritarian ideology — Incorrect. Majoritarianism is the idea that the wishes of the majority community should prevail over those of minorities. It is one view within such a debate, not the subject of the debate, which was about how secularism and democracy should deal with religion in politics.
Option (4) State emergency — Incorrect. An emergency is a constitutional power to suspend normal rule in a crisis; the rise of religious identity in politics raised a question of values in a democracy, not of emergency powers.
Note: The concept in Option (3), ‘majoritarian ideology’, is not in NCERT (2025-26); explained here for the benefit of the students.
NCERT (2025-26): “Communalism, Secularism, Democracy The other long-term development during this period was the visible rise of politics based on religious identity leading to a debate about secularism and democracy. We noted in Chapter Six that in the aftermath of the Emergency, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh had merged with the Janata Party. After the fall of the Janata Party and its break-up, the supporters of erstwhile Jana Sangh formed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1980.…” |