Rethinking secularism: Genesis and implications of the textbook controversy, 1977-79

In: Pacific affairs, Band 56, Heft 1, S. 15-37

Abstract

Janata Party's inability to resolve its orientation toward the meaning and practice of secularism and its perceived opposite communalism as the principal cause at the ideological level for the party's demise just two years after its stunning victory in the 1977 elections. Ideological struggle within the Janata Party on the question of 'dual membership': whether party members should be allowed to belong to RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). The authors examine the textbook controversy against the backdrop of these contentious issues. (DÜI-Sen)