The blasts in Varanasi energized an old debate in India regarding secularism, common civil code, and equality in the eyes of the law. While secularism is meant to provide a common set of laws for the population, the Indian Constitution provides for religion specific laws for various circumstances. This provision was intended to create confidence among the minorities that they can be equal citizens in a largely Hindu India.

However, Indian democracy had mutated into ugly fashions where different political parties engage in pandering to specific groups; this scheme of operation is euphemistically called “vote-bank politics.” In the last few years, this modus operandi has further mutated into caste-based, religion-based, language-based, and region-based vote banks.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is accusing the communists and myopic regional parties like Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Party of shamelessly pandering to Muslims to win their vote. This allegation has been corroborated by various prominent Islamic groups in India, which accuse these parties of compromising the cause of Muslims by pandering to a few terrorist elements.