Question

What is the basis of communal politics?
A) Money and power in few people’s hand
B) People of different religions have different interests that involve conflicts
C) Education in some people’s hand
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint:
I) Communal politics is a South Asian term for what is globally defined as sectarian or ethnic politics.
II) During colonial rule in British India, communal politics emerged primarily as a bargaining tool for positions of economic privilege and social status.
III) The 4th Earl of Minto was considered the "Father of the Communal Electorate" for enacting the Morley-Minto Act in 1909, which legalized communalism.

Complete answer:
Communal politics is founded on the premise that religion is the foundation of a common identity, and that members of a religious group share the same political, economic and social interests. To put it another way, communal politics is established based on the assumption that each religious group is distinct from the others in terms of religious, cultural, lifestyle, and value systems. It serves as the foundation for differences in socio-economic interests between communities.

The relationship between different communities appears to be defined by mistrust and suspicion in the absence of common interests. Mutual mistrust developed between religious societies as a result of communal politics. This mistrust often leads to violence, which is important in communal politics because it exacerbates the shared suspicions and hatreds that fueled the violence in the first place. As a result of communal conflict, society becomes more polarized, which aids the spread of communal politics. In this sense, communal politics is primarily a type of politics that mobilizes a specific religious group for political power. It is the political manipulation of religious differences.

Thus from above discussion we know that the correct answer is option ‘B’.

Notes:
i) The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the All India Muslim League's public activities were founded on an ideological community-based nationalism.
ii) Between 1919 and1926, the Akali agitations against the corrupt, British-backed Gurudwara managements drew the Sikh community into the nationalist struggle.
iii) Following the partition of Bengal in1905, Kali worship became common in Bengal as part of the Swadeshi and Boycott movements.