‘Secularism Is European Concept, No Need For It In India’: TN Governor’s Remarks Draw Congress’s Ire

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi sparked a row by stating that secularism is a European concept irrelevant to India. Congress MP Manickam Tagore criticised Ravi's remarks, deeming them unconstitutional.

File Photo of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi

Source : PTI

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi sparked controversy on Sunday after stating that secularism is a "European concept" and irrelevant to India. Speaking at a public event in Kanyakumari, Ravi said, "A lot of frauds have been committed on the people of this country, and one of them is that they have tried to give a wrong interpretation of secularism."

According to news agency IANS, he added, "Secularism is a European concept, and it is not an Indian concept. In Europe, secularism came because there was a fight between the Church and the king... How can India be away from 'dharma'? Secularism is a European concept and let it be there only. In India, there is no need for secularism."

The Tamil Nadu Governor also slammed former prime minister Indira Gandhi for introducing the word "secularism" into the Preamble of the Constitution in 1976. "Twenty-five years later, during the Emergency period, an insecure Prime Minister, in an effort to appease certain sections of people, introduced secularism into the Constitution," he said, as quoted by India Today.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore Says Tamil Nadu Governor's Remarks Are 'Against Constitution'

These remarks have drawn sharp criticism from senior Congress leader and Virudhunagar MP, Manickam Tagore, who took to social media on Monday to express his opposition. In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Tagore called the Governor's comments "unacceptable" and "against the Constitution of India." He further said, "The statement of Tamil Nadu Governor on secularism is against the Idea of India by Mahatma Gandhi, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Vallabhai Patel."

Tagore elaborated on the Indian interpretation of secularism, which he said is based on respect for all religions, traditions, and practices. "While the idea of secularism may be different in foreign countries, in India we respect all other religions, we respect all other traditions, and we respect all other practices, and this is the idea of secularism in India," he wrote.

The Congress MP accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its affiliates of attempting to undermine this principle. He asserted, "The BJP wants to insult other religions and other traditions. The tradition of India is not like that."

My views on the statement of Tamilnadu Governor Ravi. pic.twitter.com/S5CT7LUaer

— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) September 23, 2024

Tagore emphasised that India's strength lies in its diversity. "We want to celebrate diversity, we celebrate other religious beliefs, we celebrate other traditions, other languages, and other practices, and that is India’s idea of secularism," he added.

The Congress leader also alleged that the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) aim to alter the Indian Constitution, which is based on the vision of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. "The BJP and RSS were for changing the Indian Constitution, which was based on the thinking of Baba Saheb Ambedkar," he stated, vowing that his party would "never allow that to happen." He accused Governor Ravi of exceeding his constitutional limits by making such statements.