Two years on, has the Congress government in Karnataka shown a commitment to secularism?

The Congress’s victory in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections was hailed across India as a moment of hope with the defeat of the state’s Hindutva-driven Bharatiya Janata Party government. As the Congress celebrated its second anniversary in the state on May 19, has it delivered on its secular promises since it came to office?

It is crucial to first consider the policy landscape the Congress inherited from the BJP.

Early in 2022, the BJP banned hijabs in educational institutions, severely restricting Muslim girls’ right to education. School textbooks were revised to remove or dilute information about key social reformers, secular leaders and rationalist thinkers. At the same time, narratives were introduced that aligned with the ideological framework of the Sangh Parivar – the family of Hindutva organisations to which the BJP belongs.

In addition, temple committees and festival organisers, under pressure from Hindutva organisations, prohibited Muslim traders from participating in Hindu temple fairs and religious events. This institutionalised discrimination in public life.

The BJP also enforced a ban on cattle slaughter and beef consumption, significantly hurting the livelihoods of minority and Dalit communities and policing food consumption.

Finally, the government promoted the “love jihad” conspiracy theory, claiming that Muslim men were marrying Hindu women solely with the aim of converting them...

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