(1) Our Democratic values-
Speaker Uttam Parmar (The Chairman, Kim education society.)
To my mind the secular state is the precondition for the democratic polity. It is only in the secular democratic state, citizen gets the opportunities to develop them. We must as the citizen of the nation has the rational attitude towards all individual and public problems. Our attitude towards any phenomena should be amenable to reason. If new knowledge provides better alternatives to our age- old problems we must act accordingly. It is in the larger interest of the society.
There is wide difference between rational truth and religious truth. The concept of rational truth is based on evidence while religious truth requires no evidence. It is matter of unverifiable faith for religious people. The religious truth is based on religious books and authority of religious head. It is not negotiable on the basis of knowledge and evidence.
The Indian society is passing through a most dangerous state of its existence since its inception as the civilization. The most extremely militant religious forces with 21st centuries all types of technology at their disposal have captured the Indian polity and social fabric of the society. They are deadly against all modern forms of life. They want to establish Hindu religious state in the country. Everyday there are reactionary forces who take law in their hands and decides what is good and truth for others particularly against the all venerable and deprived sections of the society. We as the humanist, atheists and rationalists have a very difficult time to carry out our activities peacefully and lawfully in such a lawless society. Our many activists friends have been murdered and rampant threats have been given by organized committed mob that carry out their mission.
(2) Secularism as the Constitutional value-
Speaker Prof- Aswin Karia (Director, Law College Palanpur.)
There are three meanings of the concept secularism.
(1) Non-religious (2) complete separation between the modern state and religion (3) this worldly means the affairs of the state related to people's welfare only.
The modern secular state has come into existence to serve the worldly affairs of its citizen. It runs through the rule of law but not at the whims of its ruler. The state has no religion of its own. It cannot promote or discourage any religion. Its action in relation to religion should be neutral and impartial. The state considers its entire people as the citizen only. The state does not see any separate identity of its citizen on the basis of religion, caste, creed and gender etc.
No one as the state representative can take part in any religious activity. They cannot support directly or indirectly any religious activity. They represent the secular state.
What is the reality of this concept in practice? By and large no representative of the state follows this secular practice. This very important value of our constitution is continuously violated openly by its defenders.
Secondly Prof Karia said that no government can ask its citizen to declare its religion. Many state high courts have upheld this principle in relation to declaring the religion of the individual.
