Question

India is called the secular state because _________.
A. People have the supreme right to make decisions.
B. Head of the state is an elected person.
C. People should live like brothers and sisters.
D. Government will not favour any religion.

Answer 1

Hint: Secularism is a doctrine which seeks to realise a secular society. The 42nd Amendment Act added the word ‘Secular’ in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

Complete answer: A secular state is a state which is not based on any religion. It accords religious freedom to members of every religious community. India is a secular state. The following provisions made in the constitution of India prove that India is a secular state.
- The word secular has been included in the preamble. It was not included in the original preamble of the Constitution of India but later on, it was added by the 42nd constitutional amendment and the secular character of India was made clear.
- There is no religion of the state in India. The state treats all religions equally and grants religious freedom to every individual. The state has accepted religion as the personal affair of the individual.
Now let us examine the options:
Option A - According to the Preamble, India is a sovereign state which provides its people with supreme right to make decisions both internally and externally without breaching the provisions of the constitution.
Option B - India is a secular state which means that it is not based on any religion. Besides, the head of the state does not have much power and is elected through an electoral college. So, he has nothing to do with why India is being called a secular state.
Option C - A secular state accords religious freedom to members of every religious community. The term secular has nothing to do with human relations.
Option D - The term secular is the state of being detached from any spiritual or religious matter. India is called a secular state because it does not have any state religion and people are free to practice any religion of their choice.

Thus, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a great supporter of Secularism. He laid the foundation of Indian Secularism. He emphasised on equal protection to all religions.